The Ten Plagues
by Lord Jeram
Summary: AU PostHBP. Harry begins his search for the secret of Horcruxes, but stumbles into a secret war that is struggling for control of reality and magic itself. But who's lying and who's merely manipulating him? Some DH later.
1. BLOOD

Disclaimer: All non-original Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling and her affiliated companies. I'm just taking them out for some overdue cleaning.

* * *

The explosion rent the peaceful air.

Debris from the destructive wave littered the streets of Hogsmeade, the all too familiar echo of powerful magic still lingering. All down the paved roads, panicked citizens ran from the houses seeking what had to be a horrible attack by Voldemort's forces. Several paranoid old wizards and witches had already sealed their houses with powerful wards which would take days to take down, but the alternative was far worse.

Auror-on-duty Lynch raced through the crowd, pushing gawking villagers aside. He swore under his breath when he had to wait for an ancient witch to dodder out of the way. Lynch pushed forward to see what was causing the commotion. He had a sudden, horrible thought, envisioning a grisly scene of blood and dismembered limbs scattered everywhere. Gory messes had never exactly been his specialty.

The oddly glowing remains of a building, perhaps several buildings, were scattered at the nearby street corner. Occasionally, strange pops and whistles could be heard as magical items were crushed by the still-moving stones on the ground. Oddly enough, a large fluorescent sign lay on the ground, waving in wind but partially stuck to a jagged metal spike. Only the word "NO" could be seen on the battered banner.

Lynch frowned at the sight. "Okay," he said loudly, turning to the now rapidly fleeing crowd. "Did anyone see... all right, that isn't a good sign." A bone-chilling sense of cold swept over the Auror, and his nose twitched at the sudden smell of decay. Paling rapidly, he turned around, holding his wand in his now shaking hand.

"By Merlin..."

Harry groaned as he sat up, shaken out of unconsciousness by a girlish shriek. He looked around at the ruins of Weasley's Wheezes and sighed. "Well, bloody hell." Harry rubbed his forehead and sighed. "I wasn't expecting all this to happen. A bit of a concussion, maybe, but not this full on wreck. And where the hell were the rest of the limiters? On holiday?"

Harry pulled himself out of the fallen bookshelf and unsteadily got to his feet. He grinned suddenly as it became quickly apparent that the banishing was successful. Harry started to chuckle when an answering cackle answered him from behind.

Now feeling a bit uneasy, Harry turned... to face the gaping smile of Cedric Diggory.

_72 hours earlier_

"Gah! Bloody hell!" Harry clutched his burnt hand and cursed the manufacturers of the "Easy Rune Writing Quill", which apparently caused a similar effect to Blood Quills when used incorrectly - something Harry had found surprisingly easy to do. Instead of carving lines in one's skin, the Easy Rune Writing Quill would change temperature to indicate mistakes in copying runic marks. Naturally, Harry soon learned to ignore the minor bursts of heat so apparently the Quill had decided to be a bit more forceful in "helping" Harry write correctly.

Shaking his head and rubbing his throbbing hand, Harry left the Quill on the ground where it had fallen. The Quill had been among several items from Hermione to assist Harry in finally learning about Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, which she had insisted would be crucial to their critical work in finding and destroying Horcruxes. At first, Harry had agreed to stop her nagging, but after a week of being extremely bored at the Dursleys, he had decided that anything was better than slogging through the _Famous Artifacts and Curio_s book, which had to be nearly as long as Hogwarts: A History.

The subject of Runes was actually fairly interesting once Harry had skimmed past Hermione's "suggested introductory text" and into the books she had recommended for advanced comprehension, which seemed to be far better written. Hermione had raved about the efficacy of the Quill in learning proper Runic structure, but then again, Harry doubted the Quill had needed to burn her at all.

Now that his hand felt better, the whole situation seemed a bit amusing to Harry. He looked down and picked up the quill, inspecting it carefully. "You know, you must hate having to deal with a stupid git like me instead of a hard worker like Hermione. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I think I'll work better by myself." Harry put the quill in the book of _Realigning Runic Remunerations_ and carefully gathered up his extremely novice attempts at Rune Realignment.

It seemed that doing something called realigning runes was common practice when dealing with complex warding, as Harry had discovered in his reading, typically any situation that needed something beyond the most basic warding. The so-called runic alignment of a rune (which Harry still had trouble understanding) was another way of talking about the rune's structure. Combining or altering the runes in subtle and mostly incomprehensible ways could be used to do a a variety of things with magical objects.

After reading several well-written but fiendishly complicated chapters about the potential applications and combinations of altered runes, Harry became reasonably certain that Voldemort was an expert in this field, and used that expertise to create his Horcruxes. "Naturally," Harry mused to himself, tracing the outline of the_ Ingaz dek-sigel orlog_, an example of basic rune realignment. "Detecting and destroying the blasted artifacts might require a bit more finesse than simply an over-powered Reducto or two. Probably what caused Dumbledore to lose his hand."

Dumbledore... Harry had avoided really thinking much about the murdered Headmaster lately. After that thought came up, Harry's thoughts always went down the same road. What if things had gone just a bit differently, if he hadn't drunk the cursed liquid guarding the fake locket, if he hadn't frozen Harry... but then Harry's thoughts turned inward, as they often did when he failed to keep his thoughts from wandering.

"If I had only realized all the clues - I should've been able to realize how to get into the Room of Requirements. And I barely utilized Dobby and that sneaky rat Kreacher at all. Hell, it all started going wrong when the ferret got the jump on me back on the Express. Ah, damn them. I haven't the time to cry about my mistakes." Feeling the beginnings of a small headache, Harry closed his eyes and sighed, massaging the muscles in his forehead.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE : BLOOD**

I always knew it would come down to this. After all this time, all this painful abuse I suffered at the hands of my family, I will soon have my revenge. From the moment I met my soul mate, I knew I had the perfect opportunity. Unimaginable power will be within our grasp, and I will never be alone again. They will all pay for abandoning me. I hate my mother and father for abandoning me, I curse them to the ends of time!

They sired me, but then what? Left me to fend for myself against a harsh world where lies were believed as truth, and radicals held sway over idiots in robes. My plan is so simple, yet so perfect. All these years, they have underestimated me and it shall be their downfall. And we shall bathe in their blood. Red as their hair. A fitting tribute to my love.

All pretenders will be vanquished, and the truth will be evident for all to see - the masses will run in terror like the sheep they are, but no matter... Power, true power, needs the help of no paltry minions nor armies of hardened soldiers; this power shall arise from the pools of their filthy blood. Sometimes I hate myself, hate what I must do to purify this wounded world of ours, but my love cannot bear to step one foot on a world tainted by the stench of inferiors. Although the murder of my so-called friends and loving family will be a joy to fulfill, the mass genocide of humanity will prove tiresome, but I will be patient.

The insignificant and false concepts of love and benevolence will be shown as the lies they have always been, and their champions will fall before our might, weeping miserably on the fallen bodies of the innocent.

Soon enough, my love, soon enough... we will both be truly free.

* * *

**_Then Pharaoh gave an order to all of his people. He said, "You must throw every baby boy into the Nile River. But let every baby girl live."_**

Harry found himself on a familiar dirt road, facing a dilapidated old house. He grinned. Excellent. He hadn't been sure if he'd be able to apparate there, but it looked like Harry Potter had once again proven to be the exception to the rule. "Mandatory apparation license my arse!", Harry grinned to himself.

Harry glanced around, wand already in his hand, as he carefully examined his surroundings. Hmm... one could never be too careful. With a nod, Harry whispered "Accio Invisibility Cloak."

After waiting a moment, Harry shrugged, satisfied that no cloaked figure laid in wait for him - and if they did, there wasn't much else he could do at the moment. Pushing open the scarred wooden door, Harry stepped himself and looked around. It looked a bit different from what he remembered, now a room completely in disarray, broken bookshelves in various states of disrepair, and a hideous old chair that reeked of an aroma that Harry did not care to speculate about. Harry quickly closed the door and walked over to the chair.

"Professor Slughorn? Is that you?" Harry spoke directly at the rancid chair and waited impatiently for the corpulent man to reveal himself, but scowled after a minute had passed without anything happening. "Professor, you know it's me! I'm here to talk to you like we planned at the funeral."

Suddenly, a rug on the floor rose into the air and twisted into a ball. The rug expanded rapidly and coalesced into the tired form of Horace Slughorn. With a grim smile, Slughorn grasped Harry's shoulder and pulled himself to his feet. He turned a wary eye on Harry.

"Mr. Potter, I don't suppose you know the color of my favorite incantation?"

Harry grinned, pleased to see Slughorn was following the standard paranoid procedure. "I'd say it was a light sea-green. Perhaps you could tell me my favorite Quidditch team?"

Slughorn smiled at the correct response to the nonsensical query. "Why, I believe that is the Holyhead Harpies, with my old friend Gwenog Jones captaining their team."

Harry nodded and relaxed. "Sounds like we've got it all figured out."

Slughorn sighed heavily and settled into the ugly chair. "Harry, my lad, it is good to finally see you. Waiting even these few weeks, I have been worried. I was unsure if you would be able to come here at our previously agreed-upon meeting time." He gestured with his wand and transfigured a piece of wood into small but serviceable chair. "Please, have a seat." He grinned widely. "Let me dispel the illusion so that we may sit a bit more comfortably." Slughorn concentrated a moment and waved his wand with an elaborate flourish. After a moment, a wave of light swept over the room, blinding Harry for a moment.

When his sight returned, Harry was treated to the sight of a well-furnished den, complete with a pleasantly roaring fire and a lush, thick maroon carpet. Slughorn leaned back in his now exceedingly plush chair and turned to pour himself a small glass of brandy. He held it in his hand and looked off, a distracted look in his eyes. "You know, I got this particular bottle from an old friend, Ambrosius Flume – owner of Honeydukes, you know. Imported from France, as he tells it. They only sell a few bottles a year, hardly your common spirit." He sipped his drink, drinking agonizingly slow, to Harry rapidly increasing impatience.

"Oh, how interesting," Harry said, already growing exasperated with the Professor's meandered ramblings. "I can't say I know many people from there."

Slughorn chuckled in a deep voice. "Ah, but my dear boy…" Slughorn paused and looked carefully at Harry. "You are still young yet. I imagine you'll find yourself traveling the world when the 'itch' strikes, as they say. There are truly wonders unimaginable outside our little island nation. Why, I remember my old student Sandra McDaniels, who founded a very successful travel agency. She's offered me a few quite intriguing vacation plans, but unfortunately I've never had quite the time to accept her offers."

Harry leaned his head on his arm and sighed. "I'm sure traveling the world would be a blast, Professor, but in case you've forgotten, I'm not exactly in a position to control where I will be next. After all, I still need to find… well, never mind all that." Flustered, Harry stood up abruptly. "Professor, I'm sure you have enough time to reminisce about fancy liquors and unfulfilled vacations, but my schedule is not exactly open. I had thought I could count on you for help, but perhaps not. I'm sorry to have bothered you."

Looking pained, Horace held up a hand. "Mr. Potter, I – I apologize. You must understand, my life has not been as kind to me as you may have believed. I am not embarrassed to admit that I have tried to improve my lot by helping out talented young men and women. If they grant me favors in return, what is the harm in that? Sometimes such small favors are all I have left to enjoy in this life."

Abashed, Harry waved a hand hurriedly. "Professor, you needn't apologize, I was just – well, I guess there's no good excuse. But the truth is, well, I really am worried. I have very little information on Horcruxes, and I desperately need assistance, if I am going to stop Vold- I mean, Riddle."

Slughorn sighed heavily. "Very well, I suppose I have been avoiding what needs to be done. In truth, the subject is actually far worse than you may have thought." Slughorn nodded to himself. "Yes, Harry, I believe my mind has finally settled to what I need to tell you. But before you ask any questions, let me first explain a bit of personal history."

Sitting back down, Harry nodded and motioned for Slughorn to continue.

"As you know, I was in Slytherin house at Hogwarts many decades ago, graduating near the end of the Great War. That war did not involve us much, as wizards on both sides preferred to stay on the sidelines and let the Muggles settle it between themselves. In truth, most pure-bloods were not aware a conflict was even occurring." Slughorn paused, a far off look in his eyes. "However, I was not a typical student, even for my house. I had a gift for Potions, including several that were not exactly on any common syllabus. In Hogwarts, if you knew who to talk to, there were always ways to gain hidden or restricted information. Much changed after Dumbledore became Headmaster, as he was able to curb many of the dangerous activities the students engaged in - a positive thing it would seem, although in retrospect, I wonder if it truly helped us at all.

"There were always fanatical pure-bloods, but those days it was all about politics, not even the darkest Slytherin would attempt to eliminate Muggles, merely try to remove them from wizarding society through legal means." Slughorn paused to drink a sip of conjured hot water. "My throat," Slughorn explained with a small smile. "Talking so much over the years has given me sore breathing at times."

Harry frowned. "Professor, although I admit this is very interesting, what does it have to do with Voldemort?"

Slughorn shuddered at the name before waving a finger at Harry. "Patience, Mr. Potter, patience. All will be clear in due time."

Harry gritted his teeth, trying desperately not to roll his eyes at this common aphorism.

Slughorn continued obliviously. "You see, I was among several to be recruited by an ally of Grindelwald, although that was not clear at the time. We were a group of young wizards and witches, feeling positively immortal with our whole lives ahead of us. Now, it would be several years before Grindelwald would be a truly powerful force, but his agents were all over Europe, searching for potential allies. There was a war going on that none of us truly understood, and most were not even aware of. Although historians may quibble on the specifics of Grindelwald's alleged alliance with the Muggle Germans, the truth of the matter is that it was merely a smokescreen of a kind – the chance for Grindelwald to attack. By that point, his soldiers were spread throughout Europe, even stretching into Northern Africa and Russia.

"The identity of Grindelwald was a secret, even to us; we were unsure if even his top lieutenants were aware. Although I personally never discovered who he was, I believe the truth will come in handy for you, Harry, if you ever manage to come across that information."

"Do you think that's likely?" Harry asked dubiously. "I mean, Dumbledore probably knew, because he defeated him, right?"

Slughorn stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Your logic is sound, but I do not know for sure – what you probably did not know about their battle is that by the end, there were no witnesses left alive. Only Dumbledore survived that encounter – it was assumed, in any event, as Grindelwald was never heard from again, and his followers disbanded soon after." The heavyset professor shook his head ruefully. "In any event, I am getting off track. As the war progressed, I became increasingly disenchanted with the cause, even before the Muggle war truly started. Although I had extensive knowledge in Dark magic, and what I considered the ability to properly utilize it, I began to see my compatriots and friends lose themselves in increasingly dangerous and evil magics, to the point where they truly began to degrade before my eyes.

"I made a decision at that point, one that I will freely tell you did not come easily. Using advanced mental techniques I can no longer utilize, I successfully purged all knowledge of Dark magic from my mind."

"What?" Harry jumped up, shocked. "You willingly threw away your knowledge? Why couldn't you just no longer use it for evil reasons?"

Slughorn sighed heavily. "Harry, if only it was that easy. Dark magic is a difficult thing to use, and far more to master. In all honesty, I did not believe I had the mental ability to use Dark magic without becoming someone far different than I wanted to be. Indeed, there are those individuals out there that can use Dark magic without losing themselves to corruption, but they are few and far between. Even Dumbledore ceased to use Dark magic after his defeat of Grindelwald."

"Dumbledore used Dark magic?" Harry asked in surprise. "But... that goes against everything he stood for!"

"Precisely, Mr. Potter. Although I cannot be certain, I always believed Dumbledore used a method similar to the one I utilized to rid his mind of any knowledge Dark magic. Yes, it presents a handicap of sorts to dealing with Dark wizards with evil intent, but given the Headmaster's expansive knowledge of mental magics, I am sure he was able to retain knowledge of defending against Dark magic – not coincidentally, I might add, similar to what is taught in the Defense Against the Dark Arts course."

"Hmm," Harry considered this carefully. "So what happened to Dumbledore's knowledge? Did it just – disappear? And... wait a minute!" Harry stopped as he suddenly considered something. "You said you purged your Dark magical knowledge. Then how did you know about Horcruxes when Tom asked you?"

Slughorn smiled widely, a proud look in his eyes. "Ah, that is exactly the point, Harry! You see, you are quite right – I did not lose all knowledge associated with Dark magic, merely how to use it. I was still aware of much of what I had studied – although much was amorphous and not in any real detail, of course. When Tom asked me about Horcruxes, I was not sure if he truly understood what they were – if he did, then I had severely misjudged him, which of course turned out to be the case. Of course, as a very smart student in Slytherin surrounded by purebloods, it was not completely impossible that he would come across the idea of Horcruxes, and perhaps even think of them as a viable way to increase power without using Dark magic. For you see, as odd as it may seem, Horcruxes are not exactly Dark magic, at least, not in the way commonly believed."

Slughorn sighed at this point, slightly overcome by the memories. "It is unfortunate that I helped him along the path to attempt the creation of Horcruxes, although I will admit he probably would have found out more without any information from me. After that day, Tom acted as though nothing improper had occurred, which to me seemed suspicious indeed. Things were never quite the same between us then, and years later, when he approached me to join his cause, he was not pleased at my polite, but firm, refusal. I believe it was only because of his remaining humanity at the time that he did not push things any farther. Of course, as I am sure he never forgot my answer, after I retired from Hogwarts, where I could be reasonably safe, I went into hiding. I was quite happy to reappear for those years where it seemed he had been vanquished."

Harry nodded. This made sense – he had been wondering why someone who taught for so long would need to hide. But if Tom kept a grudge – which seemed quite likely – Slughorn would indeed be intelligent to stay hidden from the public eye.

"Harry, although this history is necessary to understand much of what you will face, there are two things I need to tell you that will make a key difference in your fight."

Harry sat up straight and nodded, paying as close attention as he was able.

"The first is an old book of Grindelwald's which I acquired while I was still in his service, but have not read since I removed my Dark magic knowledge – make sure to read it when you can, although much will still be above your current understanding. Just be aware that I and others sacrificed much to get the book. The other area of interest is about Horcruxes – something about their true nature."

Slughorn held up his hands, as if in protest. "Now, Harry, I know you are not about to go out and attempt the creation of a Horcrux, but that is precisely why I can trust you with this knowledge. You see, although I told Tom I knew nothing much about Horcruxes, the truth is I knew a great deal – including several pieces of information Tom never discovered."

"Well, with all due respect," Harry asked slowly. "How can you be sure he never found out? After all, it's not like you've kept up correspondence with him, right?"

"Indeed," Slughorn agreed amiably. "The reason I am sure is that if Tom knew what I knew about Horcruxes, he would never have attempted to create one. This is not a matter of being Dark or evil, but an understanding of what a Horcrux truly is. You see, Tom believed, as was commonly thought, that a Horcrux split one's soul and allowed a kind of immortality. That is true, in a way, but in reality splitting a soul is not possible. What is commonly called a 'soul' by the magical community is not a soul at all. Our souls are immutable, unchangeable, impossible to alter in the physical world, as they exist entirely on another plane of existence. What we can change, however, is the magical connection we have to our souls. Even Muggles have this connection, although most have no true notion of what this connection is.

"You know, of course, of how Dementors supposedly 'suck' out their victims souls?"

Harry nodded. He was all too familiar with the monstrosities.

"Removing a soul is not possible, even with a Dementor's power or powerful Dark magic, but removing or destroying that soul connection is possible indeed. Many powerful spells, including the Unforgivables, target that connection, which has the effect of affecting someone physically as well. A Horcrux does not split a 'soul', as that is not possible. Instead, it splits that magical connection to the soul over what is called the 'magical spectrum', a concept difficult to explain – so I will merely say that it is a way our physical world and magical energy flows interact. Voldemort never knew this, as he wanted merely to cheat death, which I will admit is hardly a trivial feat, but by creating Horcruxes, Voldemort sacrificed parts of his magic permanently. Now, he replaced those parts of his magic with other powers, for the most part, but I believe he thought those powers a side effect to creating the Horcruxes.

"Harry, the reason Horcruxes corrupt someone is because that magical connection to the soul becomes fractured and corrupted, which changes forever the flow of magic through the ones foolish enough to complete a Horcrux. As Voldemort did not realize he lost pieces of his magic, he also could not have known what would happen to that wayward magic. You see, a Horcrux in essence is two things: an object with a piece of the original magic, and something... else. The creation of a Horcrux mutates one's magic to become a kind of undead entity, something akin to a ghost without any physical anchor. When a Horcrux object is destroyed, that undead spirit is released, and attempts to find the nearest body. In fact, the very substance of reality is warped by creation of a Horcrux, and…"

Slughorn stopped short with a frown, and looked a bit frustrated. "Harry, I must apologize. I am unable, for reasons I cannot divulge, to fully explain to you the true nature of Horcruxes. I believe in time you will discover the complete truth, but we are both limited by dangerous forces, some of which may be monitoring your conversations."

Harry stood up and looked around the room frantically. "Someone's spying on me? I don't feel anything in my head… Is it Voldemort? Someone else?"

The professor sighed. "No, it is not Voldemort. If only it was that simple, there would be reasonably simple ways to protect your thoughts. I'm not speaking of some hidden Death Eater, spying at your innermost thoughts, but those who are 'listening', in a manner of speaking, for key words and phrases that, for lack of a better word, are too 'sensitive' to leave uninvestigated. Naturally, these spies no doubt still believe you know nothing about them, so they are not quite as vigilant. Luckily, my affiliation with you is probably known only for our Hogwarts interactions, and even then, probably only for my Slug Club."

Harry shrugged noncommittally. "Well, I suppose you are more an expert in any case. So I should read Grindelwald's book, and... do what exactly about the Horcrux problem?"

Horace chuckled in a dry manner. "The Horcrux problem. I don't suppose I've heard it expressed so succinctly, but ah, there it is." Composing himself, the older man examined Harry carefully. "Well, there is not much more I can tell you, at least not for the moment. As I mentioned, I cannot speak aloud or write certain explicit words or phrases, regardless of how useful they may be to you, but I will tell you that the book is a good start. Grindelwald hid his secrets in ways difficult to decrypt, so there is nothing obvious written on those pages. Suffice it to say, I leave you with this key advice: If you happen to find any Horcruxes, do not destroy them!"

"What?" Harry exclaimed. "But, what about Vol... Riddle? Then he's unstoppable!"

"Yes, you are unfortunately quite right," Slughorn replied grumpily. "But for the same reasons as already mentioned, I cannot tell you to wait. All I can do is offer my assurances that this advice will not lead you astray, by any honor I still retain in your eyes."

Harry sighed and glanced at the book. "Okay, Professor. I suppose I didn't really think I'd find any of them anytime soon anyway."

"Do not be fully disheartened, Mr. Potter." Slughorn sat back in his chair, a faint but smug expression on his face. "I believe you may find answers sooner than you might expect." He stood and offered a meaty hand. "I offer you my fondest and most fervent desire of your success. Good luck, Mr. Potter."

Harry grinned as he accepted the handshake. "Thanks, sir. I won't forget you, or your help."

Slughorn winked. "I suppose that is all I could ask for."

* * *

**_Out of the night that covers me,  
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,  
I thank whatever gods may be  
For my unconquerable soul._**

**_- William Ernest Henley_**

Ronald Weasley was, in most ways, the textbook definition of a Gryffindor: loyal only when it suited him, courageous to a fault, over-competitive when it was unnecessary, and fiercely, angrily, jealous to a near unhealthy level. Ron was quite loyal to his friends, but deep down, at a level he could never articulate, he wanted to be known for something, to be somebody important. He also knew (but would never admit) that being "Harry Potter's Best Friend" was probably the only way he'd ever come close to fulfilling that subconscious desire. Ron hated school not because of the never ending schoolwork (at which he always felt deficient), or even his long-seated distaste for all things Slytherin, but because it was where everyone he knew succeeded. His fairly decent Quidditch skills and above average defense skills were not enough - he was close to friends who far exceeded his abilities.

Ron loved his family, but did not really want to spend much time with them. So Ron waited eagerly for the day when he could disappear with his friends and never need return to Hogwarts. It was the day after Harry's birthday, thus he had to be coming by soon, at least that was what he had mentioned in his latest owl message. Bill and Fleur's wedding was only a few days away, and preparations had only just started to reach a heated pace.

"Ronald, can you find your sister?" A frazzled Mrs. Weasley called out to her son, interrupting his sulking. "She's supposed to finish the decorations on the floral arrangement."

Ron grunted and got to his feet with an exaggerated motion. "Yeah, Mum, I'll go check on her."

"What was that?" Molly poked her head out of the kitchen.

"I said I'll bloody go find her!" Ron snapped.

"Watch your mouth, Ron! I don't have time to deal with your peckishness now. Please just go find Ginny."

"Okay, okay, I'm going." Ron grumbled. He stomped up the stairs to his sister's room, noticing the door was ajar. "Ginny? You in there?" Ron knocked on the door. "C'mon, Mum's stressed and she's taking it out me!" He knocked again a little harder, and the door swung open. Ron peeked his head inside cautiously, but saw no sign of his wayward sibling. He scanned the room and his eyes fell on a pile of several garlands of flowers. "Oh, there they are. I'll just take them down to Mum. Suppose Ginny's already done." Shrugging his shoulders, he grabbed the flowers and hefted them into the air, the pile actually towering over him and impeding his vision.

"Ah, bugger!" Ron cursed in annoyance. He tried to make his way to the door, but suddenly his foot caught on something and Ron stumbled, plummeting to the floor. Ron grabbed out at the wall in a flailing fashion, but to his astonishment, his hand had somehow pulled on a gnarl in the grain of the wall, and a board popped out of place. Ron stood up and looked nervously at the hole in the wall. "I gotta fix this before Ginny comes back." He picked up the wood and tried to remember an appropriate repair spell.

He gazed closely at the broken wall, and his eyes opened wide with astonishment. Nestled in the opening was a small jewelry box. Overcome with curiousity, Ron carefully took the box to get a closer look. A strange runic mark was blazoned on the box's lid, and Ron felt an odd shiver run down his back. Feeling a bit odd, Ron suddenly got the notion to write the mark down. He grabbed a scrap of paper off the floor and quickly drew a crude, but reasonably accurate approximation of the disturbing mark.

"Hmm, guess I should probably ask Bill about this." Ron begrudgingly added a note to "ask Bill" and stuffed the paper in his pocket. He picked up the box and looked at the hole, trying to remember exactly how it had originally fit.

"Ron, what are you doing in my room?"

Ron blanched and turned to face a furious Ginny with hands on her hips.

"Listen, Ginny, I'm sorry, I just came up to get the flowers, but I tripped and..." He trailed off when he noticed Ginny's expression change from incensed to blank. "What? I know I wrecked the wall, but I'll fix it, I promise!"

Ginny chuckled tonelessly. "I believe you." And with a sudden motion, catching Ron completely off guard, she drew her wand. "_Obliviate_."

Ron was too shocked to even attempt to defend himself.

* * *

**_"It is not all books that are as dull as their readers." - Henry David Thoreau_**

Harry leaned back, flipping through the first few pages of Grindelwald's book. The book was written in a mixture of languages, seemingly almost incomprehensibly so, but for the most part the English, though riddled with spelling mistakes, was at least legible. Although Harry could not be sure, the book almost seemed a mix between a diary and log of one random thought after another. Unfortunately, it became clear that the first pages of the book had been ripped out.

_As is already considerd. I have decided that pursuing this Unsterblichkeit mixtuer is a fool's errand, with implycations I had nevet even considered. Although the kraftvolle feinde continue to push this ridiculous notion that is clearly impossible, in retrospect, at least. After all, if the process was so simple, chacun aurait fait! But non, as the trickery of the Junjou doumei is no doubt behind this latest expenditure. In fact, I shall next_

_NaturallY! It was all to easy to see the truth in the matter, those baka no oni were fools of the highest caliber if they believed they could so easily sway me! In fact, the next time I see Mc (much of the text following this had been burnt off the page) I don t think was ? Nao, I will not accept that that dumbkopf coudld ever solve my quandry _

_On that day, that being 17th of June, 1937, I was able to successfully recreate the rift - but I sincerely doubt that any alterations occurred, as my singular sight seemed not specific enough to determine any anomalous magical signatures. It strikes the question - would resending the timeline cause a change in the rift signature? A hypothetical question at best, as changing the timeline seems impossible at this fluxed stage._

_When I find that reprehensible Mulciber, I will kill him. Keeping such a secret from me, his master in all things? The spell of piccolo fuoco - I cnnnont believe it. In any event, it turns out that I was right; the causal change does indeed reapply death mentality to_

The next several pages were severely damaged, to the point where Harry flipped ahead to the next readable block of text. His eyes lit up as he recognized key words.

_The determination of pain output to energy input for the Cruciatus seems inconsistent with Kallegott's Rule of Two, contrary to common belief. In my experience, the relevant factors are A) implicit mental desire B) retained Cruciatus internal damages C) the consideration of magical force of caster versus subject and D) the standard werkelijkheids breking inherent in all Unblockables. My research indicates that unlike the avADA KedAVRA, any subsequent soul query will result in the complete destruction of the soul container, although I am unsure how non-biological containers would react._

A sudden fiery flash startled Harry out of his reading.

"Fawkes!" Harry exclaimed, surprised by the unexpected visitor. "What a pleasant surprise. Why are you here?"

The phoenix trilled and held out a talon, which held a rolled note that had not been there a moment before. Fawkes cocked his head and stared meaningfully at Harry. Harry swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. It seemed a bit obvious who would have written and sent such a note. Unrolling the paper, Harry quickly realized his feeling was exactly correct.

_Harry, if you are reading this, it means that plans against you have come to fruition. I will not lie to you Harry, not anymore. Your life has been a string of falsehoods, with many conspiring against you and our entire world. I will not deign to calm you with meaningless platitudes or empty proverbs, as has seemingly been my wont. Unfortunately, I have seen that time is rapidly running out, and I no longer have the luxury to compose a properly complete farewell letter to you._

_You have a very important journey before you, but it is not the one you expect. You already know about the search for Horcruxes we have already discussed in detail, but I am afraid that search is far more complicated than I first explained. You see, Harry, I have been aware for some time of several warring factions that battle for the very nature of magic itself. These factions exist in the shadows, and fight their wars by manipulating others and corrupting or misusing magical knowledge. Unfortunately, as horrible as the Horcrux situation seems, there are actually far deeper layers involved, which I can cannot currently explain, due to those who may be monitoring your activities._

_Indeed, the very school where you have found both happiness and grief is not merely a place of learning or magical education. It is, as it has been for centuries, one of the battlegrounds of the war of control over magic. Most people are completely ignorant of this war, and very few know more than a general notion of what may be occurring._

_Unfortunately, there is no simple solution to this quandary; neither faction is the right side to follow, as both merely want power and control. I cannot say whom you know is involved in this conflict, but I have left you clues that I pray will lead you to success and victory. Trust only those who are trustworthy by my word alone. All others may be suspect._

_I advise you to seek assistance in the Alley - you will see what I mean soon enough. If I have prepared things correctly, you will find the answers you need._

_I do not have much time left to send this to you, so I will leave you with one final warning that will help you when the time is right:_

_"The Anti-Horcrux does not exist."_

_AD_

Harry looked up from the letter, the familiar feeling of melancholy threatening to overwhelm him. And yet, as he looked over the letter once more, he found himself incredibly confused by Dumbledore's obtuse comments. What on Earth was Dumbledore talking about? And what did he mean by a hidden war, or an "Anti-Horcrux" for that matter, whatever that was. It seemed that perhaps Slughorn's worry of some enemy monitoring Harry's communication was dead on, especially if Dumbledore was worried. The letter suddenly burst into flames, startling Harry out of his anxious musings.

He looked over at Fawkes who shuddered as though vibrating. "Fawkes, are you all right there?"

The phoenix looked at him and trilled once before vanishing in a burst of fire.

Harry sat down, taken aback by the abrupt departure of Fawkes. "I guess Fawkes didn't want to talk about it. I suppose I can't blame him."

* * *

**_And Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go. _**

_Elsewhere…_

Harry stared happily at Parvati, engrossed in watching her every movement, each minor fidget or adjustment seeming almost unbearably sexy. He still could not believe his luck in landing such a wonderful, desirable girlfriend. Of course, considering his past relationships, Harry was more than happy to have a partner who was not an over-emotional wreck. Harry just couldn't wait until she finished her seemingly endless gossip so he could just grab her and-

Harry stared grumpily at Pansy, wondering how in Voldemort's arse he had been saddled with such an annoying, whiny girlfriend. Now, just like every time they talked, Pansy was spending an exorbitant amount of time complaining. On the other hand, Harry realized he probably couldn't do much better, as everyone else was taken, dead, or gay. And in some cases, all three. Of course, the sex was pretty damn good, Harry supposed that he perhaps this time he could just skip the annoying tirade, grab her and-

A sudden jolt. Harry looked down in shock, and watched as his arm began to disappear, slowly at first, then suddenly, without a chance to scream in protest, he was completely, utterly gone. Just… gone.

Harry sat up from reading Grindelwald's book with a start. He had just had the strangest feeling that a part of him had just… vanished. A quick inspection revealed nothing was missing. A feeling of lightness drifted across Harry's chest but was suddenly crushed by such intense, sudden contracting, that Harry cried out in surprised pain. Then, as quick as it had appeared, the pain left. But the memory of that brief lightness prodded at Harry's mind, and he threw the book down, frustrated.

"Nuts to this, I'm going to Diagon Alley."

* * *

Next time…

_The slimy beasts return and choke their victims to an early grave._

Aseret HaMakot

BLOOD FROGS LICE BEASTS PESTILENCE BOILS HAIL LOCUSTS DARKNESS DEATH OF THE FIRST BORN


	2. FROGS

Disclaimer: All non-original Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling and her affiliated companies. I'm just taking them out for some overdue cleaning.

* * *

Ron walked in a distracted daze through the yard, weaving between the chairs and decorations without really thinking about it. He stopped suddenly and looked around in confusion. He looked at the small bundle of flowers he was holding and glanced at the chairs. There was something he was supposed to do out here. Maybe arrange the flowers?

No, it wasn't that, Ron decided. His Mum would never have assigned him just an aesthetic responsibility; he just didn't quite have the eye for it. Ron dropped the flowers on a nearby chair and flopped onto another one, groaning in frustration. Why was he outside anyway? Ron tried to remember, but grew frustrated quickly as he continued to recall absolutely no good reason to be outside.

Ron sat up straight and gasped. Wait, maybe… could it be… almost had it there… But whatever that wayward thought might have been, it was gone equally as quickly. Ron cursed in annoyance and slouched over the chairs, stretching out over several in a vain attempt to relax. He started to pick at his clothes, fidgeting as he tried to ignore his growing impatience with his own memory.

An image of a scolding Hermione came wholly unbidden to his head, waving her finger and clucking her tongue. "If you'd only keep proper notes," the Imaginary-Hermione was saying. "You'd stop finding yourself in such nasty predicaments. I can't ever imagine forgetting something as important as what I was doing outside!"

"Damn it, Hermione, quit your bloody nagging!" Ron yelled out angrily. Ron winced, realizing he had just been a bit loud, and reddened a bit. "Fine, fine," Ron grumbled to himself. "Should've written a note, yeah, yeah."

Ron continued fidgeting with his clothing, and was utterly shocked to discover a note to himself in a pocket.

Of course, the note itself made no sense; it was just a random runic mark, which Ron knew next to nothing about, and the mysterious addition of "Ask Bill" in what was clearly Ron's less than impeccable handwriting. "Huh," Ron grunted. "I don't remember writing this." On the other hand, he reflected, who would go to the trouble of forging Ron's handwriting? Perhaps Hermione had somehow cast a spell on Ron to help his memory without Ron being aware of it.

Ron snickered at the all too easily imaginable possibility. He shrugged and put the note back in his pocket. He supposed Bill couldn't be that busy at this exact moment, as he was only strengthening the wards for his upcoming wedding. And Ron had a note.

Feeling a bit embarrassed about it, Ron nonetheless squelched the guilty impulse and trudged over to the border of the estate where Bill was directing the security efforts. Bill looked a bit frustrated, the worries of securing his upcoming nuptials giving him a bit of stress.

"I don't need to know the exact arithmantic configuration formula, Lawrence!" Bill berated a slight older lady in clipped tones. "Just tell me what the current degree of warding is holding at! We don't exactly have weeks of time left here."

"Um, sorry, Mr. Weasley," the nervous witch replied, fidgeting with her hair. "The, um, degree of warding is at about sixty percent over the SWL standard, and the complete charging should finish in a few hours."

Bill exhaled and closed his eyes. "Right, right. Just watch the limiters and don't overreach on any of the linked wards. We don't want to create any easy holes in the security grid."

"Um, right, Mr. Weasley." Lawrence backed away slowly, waiting a bit of distance before turning and walking quickly out of sight.

"Uh, Bill? Can I ask you a quick question?" Ron asked slowly.

Bill whirled angrily. "What do you want?" He blinked and his angry expression faded. Bill sighed heavily. "Sorry, Ron, didn't mean to snap at you there. Just right busy with all these plans and security measures. I want my wedding to be safe, don't I?"

Ron grinned and shrugged. "Yeah, I'd imagine so."

The older brother chuckled and stretched languidly. "So what's eating you, Ronnie?"

Ron frowned and pulled out his mysterious note, looking down at it. An odd sensation crept down his spine and Ron shuddered.

"Now what have you got there?" Bill asked with a rakish grin. "It seems to have got you in a bit of a twist or something. Give it here."

Feeling almost reluctant, Ron handed over his unknown note.

Chuckling again at his younger brother's nervous behavior, Bill glanced at the odd marking. He whipped his head back at Ron, and then carefully squinted back at the crude approximation of the runic mark.

"Ron…" Bill swallowed. "Ron, where did you see this?"

"Well, that's the thing – I don't quite remember that. Just found the note in my pocket, written in my handwriting."

"Ron, this is serious business here. If this marking is what I think it is, I need to know every detail you have."

"Well I don't bloody remember!" Ron yelled in exasperation. "You think I like not knowing what's going on? I just found the bloody thing!"

Bill glanced around suspiciously. "Ron, this isn't really the safest place to talk. Come on, we'll go to the attic. I have a good setup there already I've used in the past."

Ron blinked in surprise. "The attic? Really? I had no idea."

Bill grinned in spite of himself. "Yeah, well that's why it's been such a good spot for things I didn't want folks to know about. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll figure this out."

The two Weasleys quickly made their way back to the Burrow.

As the Burrow came into sight, Bill grasped Ron by the shoulder. He looked directly into the eyes of his younger brother.

"Ron, I don't know what's going on here, but it's not looking to be a pleasant romp in the park. Talk to no one about what we discover, understood?"

Ron gulped at Bill's intense expression. Now he remembered why Bill was the family member he respected the most, and hated the least. "Right, Bill, of course." Ron attempted to keep his voice steady. "Maybe we shouldn't be too obvious about running upstairs either, eh? You know, keep it quiet and all that."

Bill nodded thoughtfully. "You've got a point, Ronnie. Hold still." Bill held out his wand. "This will temporarily keep us from being easily discovered, like a bit stronger than a localized Notice-Me-Not charm. _Acia Absens_."

Ron's skin prickled as a wave of icy cold energy spread over him. He looked down at himself, but couldn't see anything different. "Bill, are you sure it worked? I can still see myself."

Bill rolled his eyes, not bothering to hide his exasperation. "I know, Ron, the point is that no one else will notice you, not that you're invisible."

"Um, right, I knew that." Ron grinned weakly.

Ignoring this, Bill walked rapidly, but silently, over to open the back door. He waved Ron over in a hurried motion. A bit taken aback, Ron nonetheless quickly ran over to the house.

Bill moved inside and walked right through the crowded kitchen, avoiding the oblivious occupants almost gracefully. Ron boggled at his brother's brazenness, but followed carefully, nearly colliding several times with his mother. Ron finally reached the stairs and exhaled in relief, grinning widely. That short kitchen adventure had taken more energy than he had expected. Suddenly, he was knocked aside by Fred and George barreling past him, conspiring quietly while gesticulating wildly.

Ron froze. "Um, Bill, I think I got hit. Is the charm gone?"

Bill crossed his arms and looked down from halfway up the stairs, managing to appear both annoyed and supremely patient. "No, Ron, the charm doesn't keep you from getting smashed by Fred and George. But they didn't notice you. Now, enough of this whining. We're going upstairs."

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO: FROGS**

"Igh!" Harry grimaced and lifted up his boot. He had apparently stepped in something extremely disgusting, albeit wholly unfamiliar. Harry grimaced at the putrid glob of putrescence firmly attached to his once reasonably clean boots, one of the few luxury expenditures he had ever made. The disgusting mystery substance seemed oddly familiar, but Harry didn't particularly feel like dwelling on the possibilities.

His wand already out, Harry muttered "_Scourgify_", but the cleaning charm only had a minimal affect. Still a bit frustrated from an extremely confusing and somewhat depressing morning, Harry growled out "_Scourgify_" again with additional force, mostly cleaning his boots from the street grime. A third cleaning charm finished off the job, but the sight of the now clean and shining boot didn't really improve Harry's mood.

Sighing, Harry continued to walk down the late morning streets of Diagon Alley. The Alley was a bit empty; clearly the looming threat of Voldemort and company still kept away the more jittery of customers. Harry passed by Florean's boarded up ice cream parlour, and he stopped a moment to look over at one his old favorite places. Thinking back to his early morning meeting, he remembered Slughorn's mention of Fortescue and wondered if there was any significance to it. After a minute of standing there, staring at the abandoned shop, Harry shrugged in a futile gesture. If there was anything out of the ordinary or important to see, Harry had not noticed.

Frowning a bit, Harry absentmindedly walked past a few surprised people, each of whom did not really feel like causing a scene. Soon enough, Harry found himself in front of a very familiar storefront: Ollivander's wand shop. A grim sign hung in the doorway, proclaiming that the wandmaker was "Closed Until Further Notice". Harry's gaze swept over Ollivander's front window, old bittersweet memories resurfacing.

"It's funny how it looks so empty," Harry mused quietly. "Even with the shelves empty, it's still just like I remember. At least, it feels the same. I remember seeing that one wand on display... wonder what was so special about it, if anything." Harry smiled in fond remembrance as he looked back at the wand display. "Yes, just like… always?" Harry stopped short as he realized that the wand on display was back.

Harry frowned and scratched his head thoughtfully. "That's odd," he muttered. "Coulda sworn it wasn't there a minute ago." Now Harry was becoming intensely curious; he began to wonder if Dumbledore's instruction might be related to Ollivander's or even this disappearing and reappearing wand.

Harry looked around cautiously, but no one stood within clear eyesight. Holding his wand out, Harry carefully pushed at Ollivander's door, and was completely surprised when it swung open unimpeded. Harry hurried inside and shut the door behind him. He scanned the seemingly empty room and inched over to the window display. Not seeing anything suspicious in the apparently abandoned room, Harry quickly glanced down at the window display, and received yet another shock when instead of a wand, a small note was nestled in the display cushion.

Now a bit annoyed at all the trickery, Harry summoned the note without thinking about it. After catching it, Harry cursed softly. "Stupid git. That note could've been a trap – a portkey or worse." Grumbling at his own impatience, Harry unrolled the note to see a cryptic message, which Harry had somewhat expected at this point.

_Don't loose this note – D (Faction One)_

"Gee, thanks for the clear information Dumbledore," Harry smirked. He shook his head ruefully. Even in death, the late Headmaster was still playing games. Although the old man had never really done anything quite this mysterious before, at least as far as Harry could remember. He tucked away the note and suddenly felt a prickly sensation on the back of his neck.

Harry whirled, brandishing his wand, a protective spell on his lips. Before him stood the implacably stony-faced Ollivander, not looking surprised or alarmed in the slightest.

"Okay, so it looks like maybe you're not dead or missing after all, Ollivander." Harry smiled slightly at the wandmaker. "But just to be sure, why don't you tell me the adjective you used to describe my wand back when we first met."

Ollivander raised an eyebrow. "Playing the paranoid game, are we Mr. Potter? Very well, when we met, I recall quite clearly mentioning that the entire circumstance was 'most curious' – and I also recall that we were alone with Mr. Hagrid at the time, who was himself carrying a most curious umbrella. And do not worry – you needn't identify yourself, Mr. Potter, I am quite certain you are yourself today. Well, as much as you could be, in any event."

Harry started to puzzle that out, but quickly grew annoyed. He lowered his wand but kept a careful eye on the mysterious wandmaker. "Mr. Ollivander, not that I don't respect you or anything, but I'm quite a bit peeved at all this oddness and question mark after question mark. I don't suppose you could actually tell me what's going on, eh?"

"Actually, Mr. Potter, that was my plan," Ollivander replied, looking almost smug. "But first, we must move to a slightly more secure location. One never knows who might be listening, after all. And I made significant pains to ensure that no one would think to look for me here again."

Harry sighed. "Okay, but I want you to promise you'll actually give me real answers, not just another set of mysteries."

"Mr. Potter," Ollivander intoned in a voice so solemn, that if he didn't know better, Harry would have guessed was in jest. "I promise you that I shall endeavor to do my very best to tell you what you wish to know."

"Figures you'd qualify it," Harry sighed. "All right, let's get on with it. Where do we need to go?"

The sound of a throat clearing startled Harry, and he turned to the back of the store. Harry's jaw dropped and he spent a moment staring. "Hold it – Cho, is that you?" Harry now felt a bit put upon – who was going to show up next, Snape's dead mother?

"Aye, sorry about all this Harry," Cho responded in a subdued tone, clearly looking quite a bit embarrassed. "Really, we're just here to help you out. And I'm sorry about this."

"Sorry about what? And who's 'we'?" Harry demanded, his voice rising a bit.

"_Stupefy_."

The stunning spell came from somewhere behind him, and Harry was too distracted to dodge. Then everything went black.

* * *

_**Though boys throw stones at frogs in sport, the frogs do not die in sport, but in earnest. – Bion**_

Ron sat across from Bill, who continued to carefully draw out notations in a circle of runic marks. The small circle in the attic surrounded Ron, but apparently Bill had still, after nearly an hour, not finished his precise work on the circle. Ron had no idea what the circle was for, though he did remember hearing or reading somewhere about magic circles being important for rituals or something to that effect.

"Bill, what's the point of this Respisoco ritual, or whatever it's called?" Ron whined impatiently. "You never really explained it."

Pausing his work, Bill sighed and looked up at his younger brother. "Ron, first, it's _Memorare Memora_, and second, I've explained to you three times already."

"Well, your explanation was too complicated. I tried figuring it out, but I couldn't get it. Just… just one more time, in plain English, please?" Ron made an exaggeratedly pouting face, and Bill couldn't help but laugh.

"All right, Ronnie, you ickle girl, you. The point of the _Memorare Memora _ritual is to retrieve your possibly Obliviated memory without the use of any Ministry-controlled spells or magic items. The circle up here is one I've used before for other minor rituals, but I need to carefully recalibrate the runic calculus to ensure that none of the extraneous leeched energy from your mind drains the surrounding perimeter alarms, or lets any unstable mental or physical energy…" Bill trailed off at Ron's blank expression.

Bill sighed and wiped his brow. "Ron, the circle is supposed to recover your memory. You clearly don't remember finding this Dark runic mark, so I'd like to find out why, and hopefully, where you found it in the first place."

Ron chuckled and shrugged. "There you go, was that so hard? You coulda said all that in the first place." Ron frowned as a thought occurred to him. "I remember that you already mentioned the mark was Dark, but how bad is it really? I mean, it's not like it burned my hand or anything, right?"

"Well, a scribbled mark on some paper is unlikely to do any real harm," Bill explained, leaning down to finish his work on the circle. "What makes a runic mark do any harm or good has partially to do with the process in what we call 'charging', that is, channeling energy in some way to accomplish what you want to do. For example, combining the old Futhark _Fehu_ and _Wunjô_ runes in certain ways, and by using certain kinds of somewhat powerful magic, could protect a treasure from being seen." Bill winced. "Sorry, don't mean to be getting all technical on you. Bad habit of mine. But hopefully I was clear."

"Huh," Ron grunted. "I sort of get what you're saying, Bill, I think. So what kind of magic would be needed for the 'Dark' rune I wrote down?"

"Bad magic," Bill responded simply. "Could be dealing with sacrifices, death magic in some way, or potentially other Dark magics that, to be honest with you, I really don't feel like getting into." Bill sat up and dusted off his hands. "All right, I think we're done here. Try not to move for this part, right Ronnie?"

Ron grinned. "Now that we're actually doing something, I think I'll be right okay."

Bill concentrated and pointed his wand at the circle. He muttered something under his breath and the circle burst into coruscating light. Bill looked up at Ron. "You good, Ron?"

"Yeah, um, I guess," Ron winced at an unexpected flash of light. "Should I still stay still?"

"Yes, let me wait for the circle to finish charging, and then I can cast the final spell."

Ron nodded and sat up straight, attempting to keep perfectly still while strange energies seemed to push and pull at his head.

After an interminable minute or two, Bill finally raised his wand and incanted "_Reciproco Detrimentum Damnum Retexere_". Instantly a spike of pain shot through Ron's head, and he couldn't help gasping at the sudden increase in discomfort.

Ron's vision went white, and odd bits and pieces of memories flickered in and out of his consciousness. The images began to speed up, flashing by faster and faster, dizzying Ron and causing the room to spin around him. Not quite in his right mind, Ron started to stand, but a sudden burst of energy knocked him to the ground.

Ron had the strangest sensation of being watched without being watched, and he closed his eyes, quickly losing himself to a deep sleep.

* * *

**_And the frogs shall come up both upon you, and upon your people, and upon all your servants._**

Harry sat up suddenly with a start. "What the…?" He found himself tucked into a fairly comfortable bed, but in a hospital or medical room that was completely unfamiliar. A quick glance around the room revealed that Harry was alone, although there was one closed door.

Moving very slowly, Harry felt around for his wand, but discovered he was wearing some sort of hospital gown or similar garment. His clothing and wand were nowhere in sight. Harry gritted his teeth, torn halfway between worry and fury. A small scratching sound came from the door, and Harry heard footsteps on the other side.

Harry looked around again, considering his available options. He considered hiding under the bed, but dismissed this as too cowardly and stupid. Harry decided to settle for glaring angrily, albeit impotently, at whoever walked in the room, and possibly also yelling at them. The frustration of a confusing morning still rankled with Harry, and the sudden ambush only made things worse.

The door opened a crack and Harry could see someone on the other side looking in.

"Having a good look, are you?" Harry snarled. "Please, I don't mind, I just love being stunned and thrown into a room in the middle of nowhere. Just brightens up my day."

The door opened and a nervous Cho Chang entered, holding Harry's folded clothing, his missing wand lying on top. "Um, I thought you might want these back."

Harry didn't quite know what to say. He sat there, considering, while Cho carefully put his belongings at the foot of the bed and inched back to the door. Harry shook his head. "Wait a moment," he said, holding up his hand.

"Harry, I really am sorry," Cho spoke softly. "But they insisted on it – said you couldn't see where we were going, at least not yet anyway."

"But why?" Harry asked plaintively. "If we're on the same side here, and you're trying to help me, why can't you just be straight with me? I've had enough of this mysterious double-talk for a lifetime."

Cho sighed. "Well, the others thought you might have some kind of monitoring spell on you, keeping track of what you saw or heard. Keeping you unconscious was the easiest way to make sure nothing was revealed before the spell could be countered. But when we got back, they did a quite comprehensive scan and found some very disturbing things. Charms and enchantments that were exceedingly dangerous, not to mention the monitoring spell."

"So I was being monitored after all?" Harry wasn't particularly surprised by this, considering how frequently he had heard it already. "You broke it, right?"

"Well, not exactly," Cho admitted sheepishly. "The other charms on you would make removing the monitoring spell possibly life-threatening. We couldn't take it off before these others were removed. That's why you're in here, in the warded room, to keep you comfortable while the counter spells are developed."

Harry frowned. "Developed? You mean they're not done? How long will I have to wait? And exactly what 'other' charms do I have to worry about now?"

Cho frowned and sat at the foot of the bed. "You had some lingering spell damage, from bad potions and hexes, things like that. But those have already been cured, easy enough to do, I would guess." She turned to look at Harry. "The real problem was two horrible bits of enchantment on you. Really awful."

"Okay…" Harry said slowly. "And you haven't taken them off yet?"

"Harry, I'm not really an expert on these things, but from what they told me, you have two different curses on you, each which could easily affect your mind and body." Cho flushed a bit as she spoke this last part. She turned away and looked down at her hands. "Sorry. Um, so the first curse is a kind of focused obsession spell, kind of like a variant on the classic bewitching charm."

"Wait, you mean someone gave me a love potion? But how is that possible? I haven't been really in love with anyone – only one who came close last year was…" Harry trailed off as Cho gave him a knowing look. "Right, well, I don't think Ginny drugged me."

Cho shook her head and smirked. "No, I don't think so either. The curse isn't like Amortentia, if you were under that kind of influence it'd be right easy to notice. Love potions and their ilk essentially force you to think about a target in an extremely positive way, to the point where even little thoughts of them would arouse you." Her face darkened. "No, this curse is worse, because unlike a love potion, which fades on its own, this curse only gets worse as time goes on."

Suddenly thinking of the story of Merope and Riddle Sr., Harry couldn't help but think something about the explanation was off. "Cho," he began. "What if you gave someone a love potion every so often, wouldn't that maintain the effect?"

Cho nodded. "Actually, you're right Harry. But even so, your personality would change almost instantly to think of essentially only the target, to the detriment of all else. No worries about studies, health, friends, nothing. Anyone who knew you would be able to notice the difference right away."

Harry recalled Ron's extreme reaction to Romilda Vane's attempted drugging and nodded slowly. Ron had seemed to only be able to talk about Romilda while under the love potion's influence, and it had been quite obvious something had been amiss.

Cho continued. "This curse affects your personality slightly differently, from what I was told. Now, I should first say I'm not exactly an expert in Dark curses, so I kind of have to trust what the medical people have told me." She glanced over at the door and sighed. "I know you're frustrated to be in the dark, Harry, but you should know you're not the only one. No one gets told more that what they 'simply must know'."

Harry grunted. "Yeah, well, I guess I can understand that. But please, just finish telling me about these curses!" The idea of someone controlling his thoughts or emotions seemed horrible beyond imagining to Harry. And if this curse would only get worse over time, who could tell what might happen?

"I know you don't think it was Ginny, and from what I understand about the process, I doubt she could be Dark or even knowledgeable enough to curse you." Cho looked a bit frustrated, almost as though she didn't quite want to admit this. "But no matter whoever created it, the target is Ginny."

Harry froze. Ginny? It didn't seem to make sense, not at all. After all, it was Harry who initiated their relationship after the Quidditch victory, wasn't it? On the other hand, that could've been the influence of this curse. There were too many questions. Harry needed answers.

"Fine, so someone cursed me to be obsessed with Ginny, is that it?" Harry asked this a bit curtly, but he couldn't quite help himself.

"Not exactly," Cho answered. "The curse influenced your emotions and feelings. Essentially you would find her extremely attractive, but any attraction to any other girl would be muted completely. You wouldn't necessarily believe yourself in love with her, but your thoughts would be 'pushed' in a certain direction, that is, to make sure her she comes first. Before thinking of yourself," she added as an afterthought.

"It could be as simple as wanting to protect her, but the feelings would get progressively harder to control. Soon you would suspect others of wishing or doing harm to her, and then you would start to believe it. Then you would start to believe it of yourself most of all."

Harry's face blanched. "And then?"

Cho looked solemn. "Then it would be a simple matter to control you. Merely suggesting an action to be positive or helpful to her would completely overwhelm you. You'd be unable to stop from carrying out the suggestion, whether it was to kill another, or even yourself."

"Are you saying this has happened before?" Harry asked, horrified by the idea.

"Yes, although it's hardly common. The rituals to enable this curse are far beyond even the most ardent of Dark wizards and witches." Cho looked disgusted. "I know Ravenclaws are supposed to be interested in the pursuit of knowledge and all that, but the idea of doing something like this makes my skin crawl." She shuddered.

Harry bit back a smile. "I'm sure there's plenty of non-crawl-inducing knowledge out there for you to discover."

Cho giggled and leaned forward. "Oh, Harry, you needn't worry. The healers are finishing up the potions right now, so you'll be in perfect shape in no time." Almost without thinking, she put her hand on Harry's and smiled at him.

Harry looked down blankly and then back up at Cho. "Um, okay, great," Harry said weakly.

Cho pulled her hand back instantly like she had been burnt. She looked down with a chagrined expression. "I'm sorry, Harry, I don't know what I was thinking. It was just a reflex. Please don't be mad."

Harry blinked. "Cho, I'm not mad, just… confused, I guess. I just want this curse to be gone, that's all." Harry didn't exactly feel anything at all when Cho touched him, but he wasn't sure of the reason. It was almost like a feeling of complete blankness had suddenly swept over him.

"The other curse is also an obsession spell, quite a bit less complicated, and not nearly as difficult to remove or cast in the first place." Cho kept her eyes firmly on the door, not looking at all in Harry's direction. "If the one targeted at Ginny wasn't there, it would've probably had worse effect, I think." She paused, her eyes flashing back at Harry for a brief second.

"So who was the target for this 'weaker' obsession curse?" Harry asked, trying to ignore Cho's erratic behavior. "A different girl?"

Cho looked a bit amused at this question. "Not unless you consider Draco Malfoy 'a different girl'."

Harry instantly felt extremely nauseated and gagged involuntarily. "You're putting me on, right? Right?" Harry pleaded with panic in his voice.

Cho laughed a bit and looked back at Harry. "Well, only a bit."

Instantly Harry felt innumerably better, and he settled back against the head of the bed, still sitting up. "Who was really the target?"

"Harry, the target was Malfoy – hold it!" Cho pointed a finger at Harry's mouth. "The curse isn't the same, okay? It artificially amplifies any paranoia or suspicion you had for him in the first place, and makes it difficult for you to stop thinking about him. But not an attraction!"

Cho sat back and smiled a bit sheepishly at Harry. "That's why we think the curses were from different sources. Since you had both curses simultaneously, probably created fairly close to each other, they each slightly dampened the effect of the other." She shook her head ruefully. "Of course, eventually they might cancel each other out, or at worst, potentially kill you or drive you mental."

Harry snorted. "Well, I guess I see why I'd want those removed." He frowned, thinking it over. Although he felt reasonably safe trusting Cho, she had helped in his ambush, even if her reasoning seemed sound. He'd almost have thought that maybe she could be someone under Polyjuice, but Ollivander seemed far too much like himself. And Ollivander was weird, but probably trustworthy.

Harry suddenly remembered Dumbledore's note and realized that the Headmaster had always spoken favorably of the wandmaker. Perhaps Dumbledore knew of the curses but could not do anything, for fear of revealing himself to these mysterious 'monitors'. There were a million reasons not to trust in Cho and her 'people', whoever they were, but she seemed to be telling him the truth.

In the end, Harry realized he could only truly trust his only instincts, and even if he had made mistakes in the past, he couldn't rely on others to protect him anymore. Feeling the matter settled, Harry decided he would go along with what Cho was saying, for now. Even if the answers he was getting were complete lies, it felt much better just knowing a bit more.

Lost in thought, Harry realized Cho had moved to the door, talking to someone on the other side. She turned to face him.

"Harry, one of the Healers would like to administer the antidotes. Is it okay if he comes in?" Cho stepped aside to reveal a middle-aged man with dark hair and a shortly trimmed beard.

Harry nodded, a bit too nervous to speak.

The Healer bowed his head and stepped forward holding a small bag. "Mr. Potter, I am Healer Cauldwell. I trust Miss Chang has informed you of the curses we must remove?"

"Yeah, she told me – two different types of obsessions, innit?"

Healer Cauldwell nodded and removed two small vials from his bag. "Correct, Mr. Potter. The two curses are derivatives of the classic obsession curse, commonly referred to as the _Gubernare Capere_ or _Aestu Gubernare_, depending on your interpretation."

Harry blinked at this burst information, a bit too like sitting in class. "All right. You mean they're related?"

"Yes, in many ways." The Healer continued as he set aside a few more tools. "Both curses stem from the same basic obsession spell. The less complicated one, I believe the one increasing paranoia, came first. We call that one the ritual of _Aestu Gubernans Tormentare_. As you might imagine, it refers to the torment of the victim. Here, drink this."

Harry accepted the vial and looked at it thoughtfully. It was a light blue in color and had no discernible odor. He glanced over at Cho, who was waiting by the entranceway.

"Harry, you can trust the Healer," she said, seeming to pick up on Harry's anxiousness. "He's an expert on curing Dark curses and the like. I hear he's been around for a while."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Harry answered with a grin, hoping that Cho wasn't still resentful and lying purposefully. "But I'm wondering what exactly this is?"

"Don't forget," Cauldwell interjected. "The two curses do not play well together. This first potion acts as a bit of a separator, allowing us to remove each spell in turn."

Harry sighed and rolled the vial a bit. Finally, he shrugged and drank the potion quickly. The taste was surprisingly mild, albeit fairly heavy and smoky. Harry could remember many healing potions that had tasted far worse.

As if reading his mind, Caulwell smirked slightly. "Be a bit prepared for this next potion, Mr. Potter. It's quite a bit more offensive to the palate." The Healer handed Harry a larger vial, the smell causing Harry to gag almost instantly.

Oddly enough, this horrible odor felt familiar to Harry, at least more like what a healing potion ought to taste like. Bracing himself, Harry gulped down the offensive potion, and struggled to keep it down. A few tears came to his eyes, and a rush of itching swept over him.

"Wait a moment, Mr. Potter," the Healer said, getting to his feet. "Before you move much, there is still one more element to dispel this curse. Please ready yourself."

Eyes widening, Harry nodded, trying desperately to ignore the increasingly difficult to ignore sensations. It was getting to the point where Harry's skin seemed almost like it was about to crawl off.

Cauldwell held out his wand and waved it a complicated motion. He spoke several incomprehensible words, some of which grated on Harry's ears in a very strange way, causing him to cringe involuntarily. The Healer finished a long stream of syllables and pointed his wand directly at Harry's head.

"_Scabies Molestans Amovere_!"

A bubbling sensation spread over Harry, alleviating the awful discomfort. The feeling circled around and seemed to coalesce right behind his eyes. A not entirely unpleasant numbness spread through him, and Harry felt extremely relaxed, as if he was just about to fall asleep.

The numbness faded after a moment, and suddenly felt a sensation akin to glass breaking and he shuddered. Harry blinked and was astonished. It was as though a fog had been lifted from his thoughts, or a headache was removed that he had not realized was there. Everything seemed just a bit clearer, and Harry found his thoughts racing.

The events of the past year began racing through Harry's mind, piecing together the puzzling events he had experienced. Soon enough, Harry could see all the clues he had missed and situations he had completely misread. In hindsight, everything seemed obvious, and he could see how his own behavior had been erratic and oddly out of character. And yet, there was something remaining that seemed missing, almost like a smudge on a window that obscured his view.

Harry laughed when a sudden thought came to him. Now he understood why Snape had named his spell _Mobilicorpus_. Kind of clever, at least for a traitorous bat, Harry mused. But Snape… that was another question mark. Harry could recall the year fairly well at that point, but the facts seemed to point in two opposite directions. Either Dumbledore wanted Snape to kill him, or he didn't. Neither one made complete sense.

Snape was an evil bastard, certainly, and killing didn't seem impossible for him – but Dumbledore seemed the one exception to Snape's extreme hatred of all things existing. On the other hand, why would Dumbledore want to die? Could he have been lethally poisoned from the debilitating potion? Or perhaps he wanted to redeem Draco or something equally stupid? No, that couldn't be it – clearly Dumbledore had some notion that time was running short, as he had indicated in his letter. He must have had some complicated and impossible to understand plan, as per usual.

"Harry?"

Cho's voice interrupted Harry's musings. She grinned a bit mischievously, leaned over and pinched his hand.

"Ow!" Harry pulled back his hand and glared at a now giggling Cho. "Very funny. How would you like it someone pinched… you?" Harry trailed off in confusion. Something odd had just happened, but Harry couldn't figure it out.

"Are you all right Harry?" Still grinning, Cho turned to the Healer. "Did everything go like it was supposed to?"

"I'm fine, Cho." Harry interjected. "Just thinking a bit. I guess my mind just felt clearer all of the sudden."

"Wow, Harry," Cho remarked tonelessly. "With all that thinking, you should have been in Ravenclaw." Cho looked blankly at Harry.

Harry's mouth twitched and he matched her expression.

No longer able to contain herself, Cho turned away and covered her mouth, attempting to hide her snickering.

"So anyway," Harry said loudly, turning back to the Healer. "I assume the antidote worked?"

Healer Cauldwell held out his wand and looked over Harry in concentration. He mumbled something under his breath and faint blue light glowed from the tip of his wand. Cauldwell nodded in satisfaction and the light faded.

"Mr. Potter, it appears the curse has been successfully removed. With your permission, I would like to continue and remove the final curse, the _Aestu Gubernans Adama_ curse. That is the one that invokes lustful thoughts and prioritizes one woman above all else."

"Wait a minute," Harry replied, thinking of something. "Why was that curse so easy to remove if it was so Dark? After all, you only gave me a potion and spoke a fairly short incantation."

Cauldwell shrugged. "We were able to do much of the necessary work while you were unconscious. Only a few final steps are needed that require you to be awake and present. And I should note, knowing the proper way to create and administer both the potion and 'incantation' are hardly minor efforts, Mr. Potter. There is a reason I am a Healer, after all."

Harry nodded, chagrined. "Sorry, I guess that makes sense. So for this other curse," Harry started talking, trying to ignore the minor feeling of embarrassment. "I guess the solution is similar? Some sort of potion and spell, is that it?" He looked to Cho for confirmation.

Cho shook her head. "Harry, I'm in as much of the dark as you are, for the most part. I've never heard of these rituals before today, when they were partially explained to me. Healer, is the process very long?"

The Healer, engrossed in setting up a series of equipment and vials of potions, shook his head absently. "No, not long at all, just give a moment to finish setting up here."

Cho turned back to her and looked thoughtfully at him. "Harry, do you mind if I ask you a quick question before we begin?"

"Um, okay," Harry answered hesitantly. "What is it?"

"What…" Cho stopped and breathed in deeply, seeming to steel herself. "Harry, what do you think of Ginny Weasley?"

Harry sighed, not entirely surprised by the question. "Cho, it's complicated. I mean, it was complicated before I found out about this curse. Now I don't know what I really think."

Cho nodded and looked satisfied with the incomplete answer.

"Mr. Potter, are you ready?" Healer Cauldwell interrupted, holding out three vials, each a different color. Two were steaming in a disconcerting manner.

Harry swallowed and nodded his head once, bracing himself for the inevitable discomfort and possible pain. The Healer handed him the first potion, which Harry drank quickly, ignoring the blinding flash of pain on his tongue. Harry's eyes unfocused and his vision swam. Coughing a bit harshly, Harry accepted the next vial.

The second potion was not as bad, as it merely caused a wave of sensation to travel over him, leaving his skin overly sensitive. Harry almost thought he could feel the individual threads in the blanket, and the surprisingly intense feelings he felt merely from the movement of his clothes nearly caused him to jump.

Harry began shaking uncontrollably and he heard a loud gasp. Harry wondered what all the fuss was about, and when the room would decide to stop shaking. Something insubstantial seemed to pass over Harry, and he froze, unable to move. His jaw was forced open, and something was poured down his throat.

Harry, feeling unusually thirsty, gulped down the strange liquid, not really aware of his surroundings. Harry's body jerked once, twice, then settled down on the bed. Harry could see blurry shapes spinning around him, and he felt both relaxed and apprehensive. Where was he? And what was going to happen next?

The words weren't loud, but Harry could hear them easily, almost like someone was using a bullhorn. Of course, the words made no sense at all.

"_Libido Sitens Amovere_!" A sudden pressure began to build up in Harry's chest, and he began to breathe rapidly. A loud wind seemed to blow in Harry's ears, and he thought he could hear the beating of his own heart.

Over the noise came the words. "_Plus Praemorde Quam Mandere Potes_!" Harry's teeth began to chatter, although he didn't particularly feel that cold. The wind seemed to die down, and then Harry couldn't hear anything at all.

Then the final whisper. The whispering, quieter than Harry could hear at first, began rising rapidly, growing louder and louder until Harry felt like yelling himself. He opened his mouth and said the words that came to him, just as they were being said.

"_Canis __Filius_!" The triumphant cry rattled the air, and that's when things got weird. Bizarre visions and flashes swam before Harry's eyes, and he thought he heard mermaids arguing with a giant squid.

Harry saw red, only red, his vision surrounded by the unbroken color. Harry thought he could hear someone laughing, and he strained to hear it. Yeah, it was laughing. Someone laughing. Laughing without purpose, laughter as cold and black as the darkest winter's night imaginable. It was laughter that chilled Harry to the bone.

And it gave him righteous fury beyond all reckoning.

* * *

_**And the magicians did in like manner with their secret arts, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.**_

Ron sat up with a gasp, breathing heavily.

He remembered. He remembered everything.

Ron passed out, his head slamming against the wooden floor with a heavy thump.

* * *

Next time…

_They arrive to drain your blood, but they are far too small to be seen by the naked eye. _

Aseret HaMakot

BLOOD FROGS LICE BEASTS PESTILENCE BOILS HAIL LOCUSTS DARKNESS DEATH OF THE FIRST BORN


	3. LICE

Note: This is now considered a post-HBP AU story. DH spoilers are minimal... for now. Don't expect this story to follow canon.

Disclaimer: All non-original Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling and her affiliated companies. I'm just taking them out for some overdue cleaning.

* * *

It was then, in that moment, I saw my enemy. Dancing around me, mocking me with its hideous laughter. I could feel the coldness and pure malice in those laughing taunts. It kind of made me wish I had a sword, so I could stick it through this abomination, this Merlin-cursed waste of space. I could think of no words sufficient to express my utter contempt and pure rage at my adversary.

Instead, I let loose with a primal scream of fury. I think I surprised the monster a bit. Probably expected me to shiver and curl up in a ball. And don't get me wrong, the true form of this malignant beast was more horrific than anything I had ever seen. But where some might cower from such terror, I reveled in it. I let the fear wash over me, permeating my skin, absorbing strength from my weakness.

Now I get it… the damned thing was there this whole bloody year! I am free from you now, cursed creation of something unholy. I have no idea where you came from, or even what the bloody hell you actually are. You certainly don't look human, but if you are some sort of cursed freak, why would you?

Blast it all, where's my sword? Or my wand, right. If I had my wand, I'd smash you to bits, you blighty little wanker. Oh what, you're scared now? The big bad shadowy horror is nervous of ickle me?

Oh, don't start running now, I'll rip your bloody head off! Or whatever you use for your mind… holding. Bloody hell, WHAT ARE YOU?

I'll get you, mark my words, I will. I just need to find my wand first.

Where's my wand? Where is my bloody wand?

Harry?

I always have my wand with me. Maybe I dropped it?

Harry, can you hear me?

Who said that? Enough of these distractions, where could I have left it?

"HARRY!"

Harry jolted forward, knocking his forehead into Cho Chang. Cho fell back from the bed, but managed to regain her balance, grabbing the open door.

Harry winced. "Oh, bugger… I'm sorry, Cho. I wasn't quite myself there. Are you alright?" Cho shook her head but smiled at Harry. "Harry Potter, if you weren't just recovering from a curse, I think we might've had words." Cho looked over Harry and nodded. "Well, you seem to be okay there – anything broken, maybe inside that poor head of yours?"

Harry rubbed his head and leaned back with a yawn. "I'm fine, really." He chuckled and smirked at Cho. "For some reason, I think I felt really angry after that last curse removal, but I don't really remember why, or at whom specifically. Where's the Healer?"

"He already looked you over, but told me to keep a watch for anything odd. After a few minutes, you suddenly started to look really angry, and your eyes were open, but I don't think you could see me. You wouldn't wake up at first, I tried yelling quite a bit." Cho smirked. "Apparently all I needed to do was smash you in the head."

"Oh, ha ha, laugh at the recovering patient." Harry sighed and stretched his arms. "You know, I do feel quite a bit better. Lighter, I guess. I think my mind's a bit clearer now, too. Suppose the cure worked, didn't it?"

"Yeah." Cho looked pensive and moved the door most of the way closed. "Harry, remember how I asked you a question before the curse was removed?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I believe I do. You feel like asking again?" Harry looked at Cho with an amused expression, feeling certain he knew what she wanted to ask.

"Right, of course," Cho mumbled. "Um, Harry, what do – what do you think about Ginny Weasley?" Cho turned away from Harry, her cheeks flaming red.

"She's just a friend," Harry replied without thinking about it. The careless answer surprised Harry. But as he thought about it, Harry realized the truth – Ginny really did seem more like a friend. More like a cousin or younger sister than anything else. As Harry began to consider the events of the past year, he began to feel a bit disturbed. His memories of snogging Ginny jarred incongruously with his current feelings of her as someone like a relative. After all, imagining Aunt Petunia…

Harry gritted his teeth and tried not to think about it too much, worried about upsetting his stomach. That line of thinking needed to end immediately. He looked at Cho, who was looking curiously at him.

Cho walked over to the bed and sat down near Harry's feet. She leaned forward with a thoughtful expression.

"Harry, I know things didn't end so well between us, and we didn't exactly talk last year. I know I was far too embarrassed to say anything. But you know, I wasn't sure where I stood with you, and then you started dating Ginny, and well, I tried dating one or two other boys." Cho continued talking nervously, her eyes flickering between Harry and the floor.

Harry's eyes swept over Cho's face, and he couldn't help but stare at the movement of her lips while she prattled on. He didn't quite remember her looking so… put together. Cho shifted a bit, crossing her legs, and Harry could see the material of her robes straining against her body as she moved. She still had the lean, athletic form that helped her become a Seeker, but she seemed completely, acutely feminine as Harry continued to watch her talk.

Cho broke off, noticing Harry's intent gaze, and she blinked, moving forward unconsciously. Harry suddenly became keenly aware of the thin material he wore under the blanket, and he felt a warm, pleasant heat spread through his body. He looked over at his ex-girlfriend, his thoughts oddly clear.

Cho licked her lips and moved closer, her hands brushing against Harry's legs. Harry held out his hand without really thinking about, and gently touched Cho's cheek. He didn't know how it happened, but suddenly they were inches apart. Harry could feel Cho's breath on his face, and he titled his head toward hers. At nearly the same time, they moved forward, and their lips met. A sensation like fire ran over Harry's skin, and his hands began to move of their own accord, brushing over Cho's back.

Their kiss deepened, and before he realized it, Harry was on his back, Cho on top of him, her hands over him almost angrily. Feeling lightheaded, Harry distantly considered that this was nothing like their last kiss. Everything seemed to slow down. Harry was unsure how much time had passed, when a hard sound interrupted them.

"Ahem!"

Harry and Cho broke apart with a sudden motion. Ollivander stood at the door, looking blankly at them. Harry could feel his face burning with embarrassment, and he could see that Cho fared no better.

"Mr. Potter, if you could get dressed, we would like to deal with that pesky monitoring spell, if that is reasonable to you."

"Um, yeah, of course," Harry answered in a choked voice. He coughed once and cleared his throat. "Right, just give me a minute to get dressed."

Ollivander turned to Cho, who was looking anywhere but at Harry. "Miss Chang, I believe your father would like to have a few words with you about the later meeting. You can meet up with Mr. Potter later."

Harry started and looked at Cho in shock. "Your father? He's part of this too?"

Cho looked at the floor. "Um, yeah, Harry. It's kind of a family thing, here. You'll… you'll find out the rest soon enough anyway. I'll see you a bit later, okay?" She looked up at Harry, her nervousness clearly evident.

Harry nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Cho smiled slightly and walked out of the room in a rush.

Ollivander turned back to Harry, as though he was in the middle of a friendly conversation. "Mr. Potter, the door is unlocked. Please come out when you are ready, and I will escort you to the enchantment room." The wandmaker walked into the hall and closed the door behind him.

Harry groaned. What in the hell was he thinking?

* * *

**CHAPTER 3: LICE**

**_The following is an excerpt from the Honourable and Most Ancient Society of Original and Proper Balance of Reality and the Sustainers of the Scales – Training and Orientation Guidelines:_**

My fellow wizards and witches, you have been selected, by blood or deed, to be a part of a most wondrous and important legacy. Our society has stood for centuries of the ways first engendered long ago; the ways of Truth and Righteousness. Though our enemies believe in destruction and horrible change, we do not. Instead, we hold close our notions, unpopular though they may be, of the status quo and the balance of life and magic.

There are those who would decry our efforts as wasteful and useless, and still others who brazenly cry that WE seek to unbalance the right and proper way of things. Nonsense and ravings of lunatic fringes, of course, but unfortunately lunatics have power of their own. They believe strongly in their own misguided principles, desiring nothing more than the complete and utter annihilation of our reality.

Can you imagine it, my allies and friends? While we only wish to keep our world alive and growing, they wish to fracture it at the seams, breaking it into pieces. How can they believe such a terrifying prospect is the correct choice? It boggles the mind, certainly, and there is little doubt they use underhanded and diabolical maneuvers to achieve their goals. Brainwashing? Certainly. Cold-blooded murder? I'm afraid so.

But is murder the worst of their crimes? No, my friends, for they wish to rip apart the very essence of _what is_ and recreate reality as they see fit. A ridiculous notion, of course, but who can truly understand fanaticism?

Those skeptics among you may wonder if our efforts are any better, that our questionable practices may be suspect or even evil. Nay, I reply with vehemence! We do not kill unnecessarily, or without proper cause. Rather, we do so only as a last resort.

Friends, do not forget the lesson of Atlantis. It was not us that caused that catastrophe. It was _them_.

Research our history if you prefer, or ask as many questions as you can imagine. I am confident you will soon realize the glory and importance of our work. My friends, I welcome you into our society. And never forget who we are – we are Verus Pondera Animadverto - The Sustainers of the Scales.

* * *

_**And the necromancers did likewise with their secret rites to bring out the lice, but they could not, and the lice were upon man and beast.**_

Harry sat on the uncomfortable chair, harnessed to metallic tubes protruding from the chair's arms and legs. Ollivander stood by the door, his typically implacable expression remaining unreadable as he spoke to some unseen person nearby. The wandmaker stepped aside to allow a woman to enter the room.

A middle-aged but striking witch entered, dressed in expensive robes and carrying a bundle of papers. She looked up at Harry and pursed her lips. Harry looked back and couldn't help but notice her uncommon beauty. The witch had dark skin and slanted dark brown eyes, and her well-fitted robes emphasized a lush but firm figure. Although she was clearly old enough to be Harry's mother, Harry felt a familiar warmth creeping up in his chest.

Firmly quashing the unwanted feelings, Harry smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Hello, have we met?" He asked the witch in a flippant tone. "You know, you do look a bit familiar."

The attractive witch raised an elegant eyebrow. "I doubt it, Mr. Potter. We would not have been seen in the same social circles, I am sure. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Beatrice Zabini – perhaps you know my son? He is in the same year as you, is he not?"

Harry blinked in surprise. Now that he thought about it, Mrs. Zabini did strongly resemble her son, although they had not exactly been friends. Harry chuckled and shrugged again. "I'd extend my hand, but as you can see, that won't be possible at this moment."

"How polite of you," Beatrice murmured in a silky voice. She stepped closer to Harry and looked him over with an appraising eye. "I don't believe I've ever seen you this close before. You've grown up quite a bit since I last saw you, many years ago. I believe it was your third or fourth year at Hogsmeade – not that I had anything but a distant look, of course. But still, I was curious, as most of us are, as to what the 'famous' Harry Potter looked like."

Harry grimaced. "Well, now you've had a look. I'm not interested in becoming your next dead husband, so maybe you could back off a bit."

The Zabini matron then burst into laughter, surprising Harry. "Mr. Potter, I have no idea what rumors you may have heard, but trust me, the truth is far more interesting than the typical salacious gossip. You should know firsthand that what is commonly reported is not necessarily the complete or even accurate account of events."

Harry nodded begrudgingly. "Okay, you've made your point. Maybe you're not an evil black widow just looking for her next rich husband. I don't actually care." Harry's voice lowered and he scowled. "But I would like to know when I can get out of this bloody contraption. I feel like I'm going to have cramped joints for days."

"Not too much longer, Mr. Potter." Beatrice frowned thoughtfully and drew her wand. "You see, we still have to adjust your little monitoring spell. A slight problem, but I am certain we can handle it."

"Can't you just remove it already? Why are you being so bloody obtuse?"

"I am afraid it is not quite that simple, Mr. Potter," Ollivander interrupted unexpectedly.

Harry rolled his eyes, having almost expected the interjection at this point. "Of course it isn't, Mr. Ollivander. Well, darn, why don't you explain it then?"

Beatrice glanced over at Harry. "The short answer, Mr. Potter, is that we cannot just dispel the monitoring enchantment. That would alert the monitors that something is wrong, of course, and they would investigate. None of us wish that to happen, Mr. Potter."

"Of course," Harry grumbled. "So why don't you just redirect it or something? You know, just have it monitor someone else."

Mrs. Zabini blinked in surprise. "Actually, that is almost exactly what we were planning, Mr. Potter." She looked at Harry with a crooked smile. "Instead of monitoring you directly, we will slip another layer underneath the spell, in a matter of speaking. That layer will appear to be you, but without anything suspicious or worth noticing. You will be free to hear and read anything at all."

Harry smiled at this. "Well, it's about bloody time!" he said cheerfully. "Then let's get to it!"

Shaking her head amusedly, Beatrice waved her wand and conjured several glowing lights, hovering in a broken circle around Harry. Beatrice closed her eyes and breathed in and out deeply, forcing Harry to avert his eyes from the front of her robes. With a quick motion of her wand, she drew a glowing rune in the air.

Harry swallowed, remembering the traumatic experience he had already been through that morning. He still didn't completely remember everything from the curse breaking, but much of what he did recall was scarily disjointed and troubling.

"_Tegumen Forte Firmum_." Beatrice incanted slowly, then slashed down her wand, causing the lights to increase in magnitude, growing increasingly brighter. "_Celeriter Versans Lumina_." The lights began to spin around Harry, who looked down to avoid the sudden feeling of dizziness. "_Oculi Aeterne Commutare_," Beatrice mumbled softly. "_Tabulatum Alterum Addere_."

Harry glanced up, but only saw the same as earlier; the small brightly shining lights continuing to rapidly circle around him. Zabini began to draw additional runes in the air, only some of which were remotely familiar to Harry.

With a forceful tone, Zabini spoke several incomprehensible words, each one causing a slight but noticeable change to the circling lights. She held up her wand above her head and brought it down suddenly, while saying "_Vultus Novus_". Instantly the lights stopped moving, but instead of appearing as individual motes of light, they appeared as though blurred in motion.

After a few interminable seconds, the blurred lights shrunk and contracted, forming a layer of light over Harry's form. Harry could hear some additional spellwords, but the lights effectively blinded him from seeing anything else in the room. Before he realized it, the lights had faded away, and the room had returned to normal.

Beatrice waved her wand and the harnesses sprung open.

Harry stood up carefully, rubbing his sore wrists. He picked up his wand from a nearby table and looked back at Zabini and Ollivander. "Okay," he said in a determined voice. "So who's going to tell me what's going on?"

Zabini smirked. "Why yes, Mr. Potter, the spell has been dealt with. The monitoring spell should now only be witness to nothing at all."

Ollivander opened the door and looked back at Harry. "Mr. Potter, we will gather in a nearby meeting room to discuss the various issues at hand. I believe Miss Chang will escort you there."

A red-faced Cho entered the room, and waved slightly at Harry.

Harry sighed. If he didn't know better, he would've sworn Ollivander was trying to intentionally embarrass them.

Cho glanced quickly at Harry and set off at a brisk pace, pausing only briefly to let Harry catch up to her.

The two continued walking in silence, and Cho kept her gaze firmly ahead, taking care to stay a few steps ahead of Harry at all times.

After a minute of this, Harry began to feel a bit exasperated. He cleared his throat suddenly, causing Cho to look back, startled. "So, um, about this whole organization..."

Cho nodded and smiled slightly. "It does seem a bit mad all at once, doesn't it?"

Harry chuckled softly. "Yeah, I'm still not really getting what's going on at all. Um..." Harry paused, feeling a bit awkward at the sudden lull in their conversation. The fact that suddenly Cho couldn't seem to stop staring at him didn't exactly alleviate his nervousness.

"So... Oh, wait!" Harry grinned as he remembered something he had been thinking earlier. "You said it's a family thing, right? Is that how you got involved?"

"Yes, that's the idea, Harry," Cho answered. She signed and looked a bit pensive. "Most of us here are involved because of our family history. I was recruited, I guess you could say, right after I finished Hogwarts. They were only too happy to ask all sorts of questions about you."

"Wait a moment." Harry stopped walking, his eyes narrowing. "You've been answering questions about me? What kind of 'questions' exactly?"

Cho frowned. "Harry, I didn't tell them anything private - I promise! Only what they could've found out from anyone in the DA. I refused to tell them about any of our... more personal business." Cho blushed and looked at the floor.

Harry breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself. "Cho, I would like to believe you, I really would. But you know how I feel about my privacy, and people spreading rumors about me. Especially when it comes to things like this." Harry saw Cho's embarrassed expression and grimaced. "Please don't start crying on me now."

Cho whipped her head up and glared angrily at Harry. "Don't you dare, Harry Potter! You're complaining about damaging your reputation, but did you ever think about what might have happened to mine? Suddenly I was the girl who broke the Boy-Who-Lived's heart. Never mind what really happened or that you started dating someone else. I spent my last time at Hogwarts completely alienated from everyone I thought were my friends. And being called a 'leaky hose' was the least of the insults and taunts thrown at me."

Harry winced. If he was truly honest with himself, Cho's words really hit home. Being ostracized for baseless rumors was not exactly unfamiliar to him. And yet, he couldn't help but ask a burning question. "Well, I'm sorry - I do know how that is. But I thought you had moved on. Weren't you going with Corner or someone?"

"Corner was just a complete arse and a mistake," Cho retorted. "He was trying to take advantage of me by pretending to be sympathetic and understanding. After I refused to shag him, he dumped me." Cho looked away, a furious expression on her face.

"So you didn't, then?" Harry asked, unable to help himself. "Wait, forget I said that! It just slipped out."

Cho shook her head and looked at Harry with a disappointed expression. "Well, you're hardly the first person to 'slip up' when asking questions about my dating history. Believe me, Harry, I've gotten far worse questions about you. And you think I just told them everything? Or lied to make myself look better?"

Harry considered this for a moment. "You should just have told them to bugger off," he said with a small smirk. "That's what Ron always said I should do."

Cho laughed. "Why, Harry, have you been spying on me?" She looked a bit surprised at herself and covered her mouth with a hand.

"Cho, we don't…" Harry trailed off as she met his gaze. "We don't need to be antagonistic here. Just be honest with me, that's really all I ask." He stepped closer and tentatively put his hand on her shoulder. "I apologize for insulting you; you know no harm was intended, right?"

Smiling, Cho shook her head and rubbed her hand down Harry's hand with a seemingly unconscious motion. "By this point, Harry, I don't think I could ever stay mad at you for long." She moved up next to Harry, her robes brushing against him.

Harry thought he could almost feel her rapid heartbeat, and he found his own breath coming quicker. He watched Cho bite her lower lip self-consciously, and became transfixed by the sudden wetness of her mouth. Cho closed her eyes and leaned forward. Harry met her lips with his own, a sudden searing warmth instantly spreading through his body.

He could feel the heat pass between them, and he ran his hands down Cho's back almost roughly. Cho moaned and began groping at Harry's robes in a frenzied motion. He responded by reacting almost primitively, pushing her against the wall, kissing her with intense passion.

A short blast of light interrupted their embrace, and a spell forced the two apart.

An older Asian man, whom Harry guessed was Cho's father stood nearby, a stony expression on his face.

Harry realized his unflattering circumstances, and quickly readjusted his askew robes. He looked at Mr. Chang's face and gulped.

"Father, is everyone here for the meeting now?" Cho asked suddenly.

Her father nodded once and motioned to a nearby open door. He looked meaningfully at Harry and cleared his throat.

Harry hastened inside the room, trying not to think about just getting caught snogging someone's daughter. He sat at the first open chair he found and closed his eyes, forcing himself to breath slowly, calming himself. After a minute, he opened his eyes and glanced around the room.

He was sitting at a large table, across from Beatrice Zabini and Ollivander. Mr. Chang walked in the room and sat next to the wandmaker. Cho followed soon after, taking a chair near the door.

Beatrice chuckled throatily, and smirked at Harry with a knowing expression.

Harry glared back, not particularly caring for smug expressions. Ollivander's completely blank face was a pleasant contrast, for once. Of course, Harry tried to keep from looking at Cho or her father at all. It seemed like it was the day for acting without thinking. Harry felt his face burn a bit as he recalled what he had been doing a minute earlier.

"Mr. Potter, are you comfortable?" Ollivander asked suddenly, jolting Harry from his thoughts.

"Um, yes," Harry stammered. "I'm fine."

Mrs. Zabini breathed in deeply and sighed. "Then I suppose we should start at the beginning, if that's all right with you, Mr. Potter?"

Harry nodded. "So you'll be spokeswoman for your group?" he asked.

Beatrice shrugged her shoulders. "For our purposes, that is good enough." She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Mr. Potter, I know you have a thousand and one questions for us, but I would like to tell you a bit of history first. I think it will answer most of your queries, and if not, you can ask afterwards."

"Whatever you want," Harry replied dismissively. "To be quite honest, I just want some answers. If you want to bore me with a history lesson, go right ahead. I'll try not to fall asleep in class." A giggle came from the other end of the room, but Harry ignored it, keeping his eyes on Zabini.

"Excellent. I shall try to keep from impersonating Binns too much." Mrs. Zabini smiled. "I don't get to tell this story often, in case you couldn't tell."

Harry smiled slightly and shrugged.

"To understand our current situation, you need to understand a bit of our history. The war we now fight is very old, going back several thousand years."

Harry settled back in his surprisingly comfortable chair, content for the moment to listen to Zabini spin her tale.

"Back then, most magic folk lived all over the world; we didn't really have much of a community or any organized efforts. But as you might imagine, soon enough bastions of magical power arose, small communities at first, but soon growing into larger groups and incorporating many cities. Although the occasional lone witch or wizard might live alone in a tower surrounded by wilderness, most of our kind were drawn to the most civilized areas.

"The first magical community of any significance was in Egypt, although quite a few wizards lived elsewhere. Of course, Egypt was hardly primarily magic folk, the magicians were an entirely separate caste. Oddly enough, the Muggles essentially worshiped many of the highly powerful wizards of that region. Many magic folk desired their own cities, and eventually there were three other areas of high magic concentration. Avalon, in what became the British Isles, attracted those interested in highly focused and structured magic. Xanadu, in the heart of the Asian continent, a chaotic jumble of power and insanity that somehow managed to work. And Atlantis, the gem of the sea, the island said to be powered by the pure elemental forces of air and water.

"Naturally, the Egyptian magicians were hardly inconsequential, although their arts tended to fall in the realm of what is now called necromancy. Now, before you jump up in protest, I should note that necromancy is not necessarily evil in nature, merely because it focuses so highly on the strange powers of death. In fact, the Egyptians were said to be the first and best to determine ways to lengthen one's life and bolster one's health."

Harry frowned as he considered this bit of history. Could the Egyptians life and death magic be related to the Horcruxes? And more importantly, was there something there that explained why he had survived the death curse?

"The four magical communities were not enemies, and trading occasionally occurred between them. In those days, any communication or travel, even magical, was limited. Most traders spent decades traveling between the continents, spreading words of distant lands and exotic magical powers. But soon a discovery would be made that would change everything.

"The Egyptians were first, to no one's surprise, of course. But the others weren't too far behind. After all, such an exciting discovery, one that changed what everything believed about reality, spread like wildfire. However, in truth, we were shortsighted. With all the wonder and excitement about the discovery, no one took enough notice of the potential dangers of using what we found."

"But what _was_ the discovery?" Harry blurted out.

Mrs. Zabini looked back at Harry grimly. "That reality is, essentially, a lie. Not that it is false, far from it. But they discovered the very nature of what reality is, and how it is put together. The world we see and interact with is in fact not the true nature of things. Our perception of reality is our limitation; we see only what we are able to see. Harry, our reality is in fact something wonderful and terrible. It is the sum total of countless sub-realities, each different, each a key but vital part of the total."

"Wait… what?" Harry asked in confusion. "Our reality is the sum of other realities? What the hell does that mean?"

Beatrice looked over at Mr. Ollivander.

"Mr. Potter, think of it like a puzzle," Ollivander said. "The puzzle exists as the sum of many different unique, albeit similar, parts. Each part looks different, but when put together, they form one specific picture. That is the image we see, the 'complete' reality, if you will. For the most part, we are incapable of seeing those individual sub-realities that make up the whole."

Harry scratched his chin thoughtfully. "So, what do these sub-realities look like, if could see them?"

"Actually, most would look just like our world," Ollivander answered. "Of course, with quite minor to very significant differences. Each of us exists multiple times over many sub-realities, or 'dimensions', as we now call them. Every bit of your life and personality has its own dimension, but added all together, they form the world we all normally view."

"Okay," Harry said slowly. "So reality is an exceptionally complicated version of a puzzle, and all elements of the reality we see are actually these 'dimensions' you mentioned. And why does that matter? Can these dimensions be manipulated at all?"

"That's the key area of concern, Mr. Potter," Beatrice said. "It's because it is very possible indeed to manipulate those dimensions that the problems all started. Imagine that you can potentially eliminate a troubling part of someone's personality, or alter the magic holding together the wards of an ancient vault. All is possible if you can find the appropriate dimension. You could even hide valued treasures or hold secret conversations if you can limit your perceptions to only one specific dimension."

"Is that where we are now? In some random sub-reality?" Harry chuckled. "And here I thought it was just some place under the Fidelius."

Mrs. Zabini smirked. "You have the right of it, Mr. Potter. We couldn't just show you how we brought you here, because that might have been perceived by the ones monitoring you. But like I mentioned, such powerful magic is difficult and dangerous to use." She shook her head sadly. "More than once, people have been simply wiped out of existence, or made into complete Squibs by those abusing this wondrous truth of existence."

Harry wasn't sure how 'wondrous' this discovery was, but he didn't think voicing his potential objections would be wise at that point.

"But in any event, I shall continue. Each of the four communities continued their studies, discovering more every year. A new discovery might grant unspeakable power. But it wasn't long before the great tragedy occurred. It was the Egyptians, manipulating their own components of reality, that somehow managed to destroy their entire magical civilization. They left nothing behind but their centuries of books, artifacts, and of course, the occasional mummified criminal or two. All their magical people were simply gone, and no one there remembered anything about it. And those old relics and spells were extremely well hidden and protected; more are being discovered every year in excavations.

"Everyone was frightened then, the potential for such destruction, enough to wipe out all magical people in an entire country? It was unprecedented, even if no one was quite sure how they had managed to erase themselves. Naturally, each group completely disagreed on the proper approach. The Atlanteans believed that the separated dimensions presented an incredible danger, and thought everything should be merged into one singular reality, eliminating the temptation and potential for disruption. Xanadu, as could be expected from such chaotic folk, supported the idea that all the dimensions must break apart and become their own individual realities, unable to interact with any others.

"Finally, the people of Avalon believed in maintaining the balance that was already there, and that balance must be kept at all costs. As you can tell, these disparate views could not be more different. Vicious battles erupted between the groups, their frantic research only superseded by the intense desire to win. Merging, splitting, maintaining. It was only a matter of time before someone went too far. And that is how, in what we consider one of the greatest and most horrible efforts of those conflicts, the elemental force of air-over-water keeping Atlantis magically afloat was completely subverted. Altered, essentially, by manipulating one specific set of sub-realities."

Harry blinked. "Wait, you're saying Atlantis really was an island? And it sank? I thought that was just a myth."

Ollivander nodded. "Coming from a Muggle background, you'd be surprised how many ancient myths were based on fact. The destruction of Atlantis was a massive historical event, although the Muggles were not aware of the true extent of the destruction. The Atlanteans could tell that their magical support systems were about to fail, and nearly every citizen was evacuated to the continent."

"The refugees spread all over the world, really," Beatrice said with a shrug. "And stories of the struggle and its aftermath eventually spread to the Muggles. However, most settled in Avalon, retaining for the most part their original beliefs. Now it was even worse, with two completely disagreeing groups settling in the same community. The calamity of Atlantis was horrific in scope, and the war cooled down. But it never vanished; instead it was fought by the remaining radicals in the shadows."

Mrs. Zabini smirked at Harry. "That's how things went for centuries, keeping behind the scenes, gathering power, recruiting the trusted and talented. New magical institutions sprung up, schools and libraries, with organized governments following soon after. Young communities grew over the world, none aware of the forces who worked behind the scenes, hiding their ancient spells, research, and artifacts that could potentially change reality itself.

"And so we arrive in our own century. Near to the start of the century, as far as we can tell, two entirely new factions arose, completely unaware of our ancient struggle. These factions were founded by brilliant and genius wizards who helped rediscover this ancient secret of reality. So now we have six groups in total, but only the four derived from the original groups are aware of all the players."

She sighed ruefully. "I should interrupt her to admit that each faction is fairly self-aggrandizing, even in their names. But even so, they represent exceptional power and resources. The original groups from Avalon and Atlantis maintained their beliefs, for the most part. Avalon became the Sustainers of the Scales, those who desired to maintain the precious balance between dimensions. Atlantis, who desired the merging of everything, became the Vita Tribuo. And Xanadu split into two: the Order of the Twin Ideals, who desired to break all dimensions apart, and the Circle of Attainment, who are, to be quite frank, quite chaotic and confusing. Our intelligence seems to indicate that the Circle wants complete chaos, although we don't really understand what that means."

Harry chuckled despite himself. "The Order? The Circle? I see what you mean about self-important titles. Did these two newer factions use similarly ridiculous names? Or did they accidentally use the same secret group titles?"

Mr. Chang harrumphed and rolled his eyes.

"You could say that, Mr. Potter," Mrs. Zabini returned. "One group called themselves the Deciders, the Power over Chaos. And the other is called the Shadows, supporting their doctrine of Regenesis from Chaos."

"Wait, wait." Harry held up his hands in protest. "If these factions are as vicious enemies as you say, and the new people don't even know about you, how could you possibly know so much about them?"

Ollivander shook his head. "Just like they monitored you, Mr. Potter, we have the ability to monitor them. Although our methods are quite a bit more subtle and difficult to detect, of course."

Harry sighed. "So let me guess… putting together everything you've said, you guys must be these 'Sustainers', right? Dedicated to maintaining the balance of reality?"

Mrs. Zabini clapped slowly, an amused expression on her face. "Well done, Mr. Potter. We are indeed the Sustainers, who protect the foundation of reality. Every other faction seeks to change things, as if they know better than how reality should be? Surely that makes sense to you, Mr. Potter? Even with our somewhat underhanded methods in bringing you here, does our position not make the most sense?"

Harry felt the beginnings of a headache and rubbed his temples. "Yes, in theory that makes sense," he said. "But if one of the other factions kidnapped me, they might've been able to explain things in a logical way too. How do I know your version is the most valid one?"

Mrs. Zabini sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Unfortunately, you are quite right Mr. Potter. We don't have any explicit way to prove that we are correct. All we can ask is that you examine the facts and decide for yourself. There is a reason we brought you here, after all."

"Of course there is," Harry retorted, rolling his eyes. "And what might that reason be, exactly?"

Ollivander looked carefully at Harry. "Mr. Potter, do you know what a Horcrux is?"

Harry blanched. "What? What… what are you talking about?"

"No need to be evasive, Mr. Potter." Ollivander blinked. "We are aware that Headmaster Dumbledore spoke to you about them. But there is an area of concern that I do not think you are aware of."

Harry groaned. "Fine, let me guess, it has something to do with this reality puzzle business?"

"I'm afraid so," Ollivander said. "A Horcrux does not split one's soul, as is commonly believed. Instead, it splits your magical essence over the dimensions of reality. The creation of a Horcrux leaves a bit of your magic behind in one of the dimensions containing a part of you, but then severs that connection. If our intelligence is correct, Voldemort created at least six Horcruxes."

"I suppose anything's possible," Harry said evasively.

Ollivander raised an eyebrow. "Indeed, Mr. Potter. You see, what Voldemort could not have known, was that this true nature of Horcruxes breaks apart the elements of yourself and spreads them over the dimensions of reality. This has caused an exponential increase in instability over the dimensions, affecting our primary reality as well. We have been unable to even access most sub-realities anymore, only the ones we have already created strong connections to, such as here, are still accessible."

"What Mr. Ollivander is saying," Mrs. Zabini interjected. "Is that we cannot find the Horcruxes to destroy them. As far as we know, only one was successfully destroyed, by Dumbledore. And we think that in his effort, he fatally poisoned himself with dark and chaotic magic. And none of us is as powerful a wizard as Dumbledore."

"So, what are you saying?" Harry asked, getting an uneasy feeling.

"We're saying, Harry, that due to your connection with Voldemort, only you can shift to the sub-reality dimensions and collect the fragments of the Horcruxes to destroy them. Only you can save reality from destroying itself."

Harry groaned. Why was he not surprised?

* * *

Next time…

_The monsters overrun those unprepared. And none are prepared._

Aseret HaMakot

BLOOD FROGS LICE BEASTS PESTILENCE BOILS HAIL LOCUSTS DARKNESS DEATH OF THE FIRST BORN


	4. BEASTS

Disclaimer: All non-original Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling and her affiliated companies. I'm just taking them out for some overdue cleaning.

* * *

"Here, Ron, drink this." Bill handed a shivering Ron a warm mug of butterbeer.

Ron slurped it down quickly, letting the warmth spread over him. He sighed and looked at his older brother. "Bill, I don't know what to do. I'm confused."

Bill settled back in a nearby chair. He glanced around the attic, as if looking for something, then stopped with a shrug.

"Ron, just tell me what you remember. We can take it from there."

"It's – it's strange. I mean, I remember more than just this morning. I think I've been obliviated several times the past few years. I can't believe they did this to me."

"You can tell me about that later," Bill interjected. "First, let's take care of the Dark rune, okay?"

Ron nodded and sipped at his butterbeer. "It's mad, Bill. I walk into Ginny's room this morning, looking for the decorations she was supposed to make. Mum told me to look for her. But right after I found those decorations, I tripped on something and smashed into the wall. A hidden compartment, I think, popped open. I found this small box in there with that rune on it. I'll admit it, Bill; it kinda gave me a weird feeling."

Bill nodded and gestured for his brother to continue.

"I wrote down the mark on a piece of paper – I'm not sure why, exactly. I just had this feeling I needed to do something, but writing it down was all I could think of. You saw how I added the 'Ask Bill' bit. I guess I was thinking you were the expert on runes, you and Hermione, I suppose. Not to insult you or anything," Ron added hurriedly. "Hermione's bloody brilliant and studies all the time. I know she's studied runes before. That's basically where anything I've learned about runes has come from, Hermione jabbering about it while she's been studying."

Bill rolled his eyes. "I'm sure your friend is the latest incarnation of Ravenclaw herself, Ron. But you know, I sorta do this stuff for a living."

"I know, Bill!" Ron insisted. "But I might've asked her if she was here, she knows a lot."

"I really don't bloody care, Ron," Bill groaned. "Just finish telling me what happened."

"Right, of course, Bill." Ron slurped down the remainder of his drink in an effort to calm down. "And right then, Ginny appears, catching me in her room. She's angry at first, and then she looks at me with this freaky blank face. I try to apologize, but bam! She obliviates me. I would've ducked or something, but I wasn't rightly expecting my little sister to attack me!"

"Hmm." Bill rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, as far I can figure out from that, we have two possibilities. Either it was Ginny, or it wasn't."

"Huh?" Ron asked in utter befuddlement. "What, you don't think it was really her? Who else could it be?"

Bill shrugged. "Could be someone under Polyjuice, or some sort of illusion to trick you. On the other hand, if it was really Ginny, then the possibilities are just as bad. She might be under Imperius, possessed by someone or something, or worse, actually cognizant of what she was doing."

"Cog-what?"

"Cognizant, Ron. It means aware. Suppose that Hermione would've known that, eh?" Bill smirked at Ron. But his expression quickly fell, and Bill frowned. "I guess we'll have to find out for sure before we do anything. I've got some potions stashed that will help. Don't tell anyone I have them. They weren't obtained through what would be considered legal channels."

Ron shook his head rapidly. "I won't say anything to anyone, Bill! I don't want the Ministry arresting you for helping me out. But these potions – what can they do?"

Bill's eyes shifted and he got up from his comfortable chair. He started pacing back and forth in the attic. "One is a revealing potion, Ministry controlled. The Ministry uses it to break illusion enchantments. It'll revert someone under Polyjuice, for example, to their true form. I've got another potion that I can use to determine if Ginny's possessed or being directed under Imperius. I can easily lace her food with it; I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

Ron blinked in surprise. "Really? That sounds like something Fred or George might do."

Bill chuckled and he grinned. "Where do you think they first learned it?"

"I guess that's not a complete surprise," Ron said with a laugh. "Mum would probably kill you if she found out they learned anything from you."

"Well, I'll kill you if you slip up and tell her," Bill replied with a dark smile.

Ron gulped at this, not quite sure how serious Bill had meant that remark.

"I can cast the spells I need remotely. Probably need to use the Informative Explication adjustment on some standard enchanted Reception Scrolls," Bill muttered to himself. "Then I can use the potion sample to force automatic entry of any suspicious spells. Once it's applied, I'll get the updates I need to know for sure what's going on."

"Uh, Bill," Ron said, trying to get his brother's attention. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about. And don't you want to know the other times I've been obliviated? It was more than once!"

"Not now, Ron," Bill answered with a dismissive wave. "I need to get these spells and potions set up before Mum starts preparing supper. I think I remember her saying that we're eating with Fleur's family about six or so. That's only four hours from now."

"But, Bill…" Ron whined in annoyance. "Who else am I gonna tell about this? Let me at least tell who else obliviated me. It was-"

Bill held up a hand. "I said not now, Ron. You can stay up here if you like, but I've get to get started." He opened the attic door and left the attic, leaving Ron to stew by himself.

"Bloody Bill and his stupid 'potions'," Ron muttered angrily. "If he doesn't want to listen, fine. I'll just hide up here until he's done. Better than being asked to help out, anyway."

Ron sat back, clutching his empty mug. He looked out the attic window and frowned, hoping he hadn't forgotten anything else. Nah – what were the odds of that?

* * *

**CHAPTER 4: BEASTS**

Harry drummed his fingers on the table and glared at the gathered "Sustainers" sitting across from him. It seemed like this was yet another thing thrown at him. These Sustainers kidnapped him, knocking him out, insisted on secret after secret, and now he was supposed to be their hero? "So I've got to find these Horcruxes which are spread over the sub-dimensions of reality," he said with a slow drawl. "Then gather them all? And then destroy them?"

"Well, that's half of it," Mrs. Zabini said with a thoughtful expression. "You'll need to gather the ones in the standard, or 'combined' reality as well, so they can all be banished at the same time. But we can help you with that part, Harry. We've already been looking at potential hiding places, and we'll probably have them all scouted out by the time you finished gathering the Horcrux fragments."

"Fantastic," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "I'll find the missing Horcruxes, of which we don't have any idea where they are, even in the combined reality, and of course the 'fragment' Horcruxes, which are also Merlin-knows-where. I don't suppose you have any way to help me, or maybe point a finger in some general direction?"

"Harry, you don't have to be rude," Cho said suddenly from the corner. "They have a few ways to help you search. It's not like you'll be just running out on your own."

Harry's eyes narrowed as he looked back at Cho, wondering if the Sustainers had compromised her in some way. Had they tricked her into doing something she didn't want, or was she a willing participant? "Oh, is that right? And I guess you're volunteering to help out? Going to help me find them? Awfully convenient that we just happened to meet here, isn't it?"

Cho frowned and looked back at Harry angrily. "I don't know what you're implying, Harry, but we're on the same side here. And they're not letting me go with you at all. Something about it looking suspicious that we're suddenly together after we broke up."

"Great!" Harry said with obviously false cheer. "So what else did you actually tell them, then? Maybe Marietta wasn't the only 'sneak', eh?"

Cho stood up with an abrupt motion, a furious expression on her face. "Watch your mouth, Harry Potter! I don't know what's gotten into you, but you've gone too far!"

"Have I?" Harry asked sarcastically. "You know, I haven't forgotten how you took her side. How do I know you're not taking your little group's side over me?"

Cho clenched her fists and stalked over to Harry. "I didn't bloody tell them anything, Harry," she growled. Cho exhaled loudly and glared at him.

"And let me tell you something, they asked some extremely personal questions. Said it was my 'responsibility' to answer honestly and completely. And yet, I kept my mouth shut. Maybe I shouldn't have been so bloody respectful of your privacy!"

"Miss Chang." Beatrice cleared her throat loudly. "Please take your seat. I think I understand Harry's perspective here."

Harry turned his glare to the older woman. "Really? Do you? Did you really try to force her to tell secrets about me?"

Mrs. Zabini shrugged. "I couldn't say for certain, as I wasn't the one who asked her anything. But it wouldn't surprise me, it's standard procedure. And as much intelligence as we have been able to gather, we are quite aware that there's always more hidden. Perhaps if we had known more, Dumbledore might not have died."

"What?" Harry yelled. "Are you saying that because Cho didn't tell you details about our relationship, Dumbledore had to die? What the bloody hell is wrong with you?"

"Calm down, Mr. Potter," Mrs. Zabini said softly, her dark eyes flashing. "We didn't care about your kissing habits, or anything so irrelevant. But we were hoping to find out more about you, and your connection to the Horcruxes, if any. It wasn't until much later that we found out anything significant."

"Wait a minute," Harry said, thinking of something. "Was Dumbledore part of your organization? That doesn't seem like him."

"He wasn't part of our group," Ollivander replied. "But he did occasionally help us out when our paths met. In this case, we were both interested in stopping Voldemort and destroying his Horcruxes. Unfortunately, he retrieved one of them by himself, without asking for any assistance first. If he had, we probably could have provided help in destroying it."

Harry glanced over at Cho, who retaken her original chair. She looked at him sadly, looking like she was trying to hold in her emotions. Harry sighed, feeling a bit abashed at his rash behavior. It didn't seem quite fair to blame Cho for the actions of a group she was affiliated with because of her family.

But although much of what the "Sustainers" were saying seemed to make sense, Harry couldn't be sure how much was true and what was intended to manipulate him.

Perhaps it would be best if he went along with things for now, getting a better handle on what they were really all about. Once he had left their hidden sub-dimension and had some time to think, Harry decided he would consider all his options. He'd probably end up looking for the Horcruxes anyway. After all, there was no question that Voldemort was trying to kill him, and to defeat Voldemort, Harry was willing to go along with the Sustainers – for now.

But in the meantime, perhaps a bit of misdirection was in order.

"I apologize for my unseemly outburst," Harry said in his most sincere voice. It seemed to work, as Mrs. Zabini visibly relaxed, and her eyes no longer glinted quite so dangerously. "But you can understand my position, right? It's a lot to process, hearing that I alone am responsible for keeping reality alive. I'd like to ask you a question or two, if I may. I think that will help alleviate a few of my concerns."

Cho looked at Harry with an odd expression, but then smiled slightly, looking satisfied with something.

"Of course, Harry," Mrs. Zabini said smoothly. "Please, ask us whatever you want."

Harry put on an inquisitive face. Internally, he felt amused at himself. The chance for such theatrics were so rare, Harry hadn't realized how much fun manipulating others could be. He felt a sudden respect for Dumbledore and his various machinations.

"Madam Zabini, you had mentioned, I think, that this 'wondrous' discovery was rediscovered at the beginning of the century by two wizards, each of who formed their own secret alliance. I don't suppose you know who they are, by any chance?"

"You may be surprised to hear this, but we have a fairly good idea." Mrs. Zabini smiled brilliantly at Harry. "And please, call me Beatrice."

"Beatrice, then," Harry said in his most charming voice. "Please tell me who these brilliant wizards or witches were."

"One was a young man named Gellert Grindelwald…" Beatrice stopped and glanced at Ollivander. "Mr. Ollivander, you know this story better than most. Perhaps you could tell it?"

Ollivander nodded in response. "Of course, Mrs. Zabini." The wandmaker turned to Harry.

"Mr. Potter, the man who called himself Gellert Grindelwald was using actually using a pseudonym for his last name, hardly an unfamiliar tactic for those hiding their Dark inclinations. Of course, Grindelwald at least kept his first name, unlike Tom Riddle."

Harry started. "You know who he really is? I thought it was a secret."

Mrs. Zabini chuckled. "A secret that he has tried to hide from most others, perhaps. But our organization has been around for years, it was not exactly difficult for people at the time to realize that this person calling himself 'Voldemort' was the brilliant Slytherin from Hogwarts. And we had informants with the Death Eaters at the time, which is one of the ways we were able to discover much about him."

Harry shook his head ruefully. "Wow, so you must've had people spying all over the place. I heard that Riddle was an apprentice of Grindelwald's. Was that true?"

Ollivander shook his head. "No, that particular rumor is untrue, Mr. Potter. He had not graduated from Hogwarts for long before Grindelwald had been defeated. All of his followers had been recruited years before that." He paused and looked over at Harry with an inscrutable expression.

"Grindelwald was not actually the leader of a faction; they actually used his research and his resources to help their own cause. When he found out, of course, he was furious, but by then it was too late. It was soon after when he was defeated by Headmaster Dumbledore."

"How interesting," Harry remarked mildly, his mind racing furiously. "So Grindelwald found out about the truth of reality. Has anything been found of his research?"

"Unfortunately, it is primarily in the hands of the 'Shadows' group, the one I spoke of earlier," Mrs. Zabini said. "He was a brilliant man, if one of extremely Dark persuasion. Most of the Shadows group's advancement comes primarily from Grindelwald's studies. I should mention, Harry, if you find anything during your Horcrux search, any artifacts or spells of Grindelwald, be extremely careful. We don't know how far he came in his personal research. Make sure you give us anything suspicious, we'll know how to handle them."

Harry nodded, clearly remembering the mysteriously written diary of Grindelwald. Was it possible that it had intentionally been badly written, mainly to fool people into ignoring it? Harry decided to keep his possession of the journal a secret for now, as he didn't exactly want to give it up. "I'll be sure to do that, Beatrice. But what are the odds I'll find anything? I mean, Grindelwald never created any Horcruxes, did he?"

"Not as far as we know," Ollivander answered. "But even if he did, one person creating a Horcrux is only a relatively minor disruption of reality, in the long term. The six Horcruxes that Voldemort created each caused an exponential increase in instability. We believe that someone from one of the other groups influenced his decisions, perhaps showing him books on Horcruxes that explained its Dark elements without mention of anything about reality manipulation."

"Right," Harry said with another nod. "I guess that makes sense. If they're trying to disrupt things, this would be the perfect plan. Of course, the downside is all the people he's killed, but that wouldn't matter to them, would it?"

Mrs. Zabini nodded solemnly. "The achievement of their goal would be justified, even through the horrific means. The instability has been so rapid, we were completely unprepared for how fast things grew worse and worse. No one could have possibly imagined that anyone would attempt to create so many Horcruxes, and certainly not within such a relatively short amount of time."

"Let me ask you a question, before I forget," Harry began, a vague memory surfacing. "Could the difference between realities be as simple as whom I'm dating? Or is it deeper, like which house I'm in?"

"Both, really," Mrs. Zabini replied. "We tend to think of the set of sub-dimensions as a bit like a circle. Moving east or west from the combined or 'primary' view of reality, you begin to break apart into the base elements of existence. At first, the realities will appear much like the primary one, except for key differences that reflect elements of your life or personality, such as who you are married to. As you move farther down the line, in either direction, you begin to see differences like your house at Hogwarts, which reflects elements of your personality."

She paused and smirked. "Of course, if it is not within your personality to potentially be married to several different women, those sub-dimensions would not exist, for you anyway. And of course, then there is the most dangerous element of all: life and death."

Harry blinked. "What exactly do you mean by that? Are you talking about some sort of Dark magic?"

Mrs. Zabini shook her head in a rapid motion. "No, that's not what I was referring to, Harry. I meant that within the enormous set of sub-dimensions, there will be those in which you have died. Only the combination of all your aspects is the one we see in the primary reality view. Someone may have been killed or erased partially, but not completely. In fact, many of our ancient battles have only been fought in these sub-dimensions, where each death didn't eliminate a person completely, but only one aspect of them."

Harry frowned. "But what if that aspect is their ability to use magic? Would they become Squibs or worse in the primary reality?"

Ollivander nodded. "Precisely correct, Mr. Potter. Such practices are dangerous and terrible in scope, but they are not unheard of. Of course, with the current instability of reality, such actions are not available to any of the groups, for good or naught."

Harry swallowed, suddenly remembering an image of vanishing from existence. If it wasn't just a dream or idle memory, which aspect of him had disappeared? As he thought about it, more details emerged from his fragmented recollection, and he remembered something about sitting with different girls at the same table. The only thing he could now clearly recall was that it had been right after reading Grindelwald's diary. Could the brilliant Dark wizard have somehow put a spell into the pages of the journal itself? A spell that allowed Harry, in some limited way, to see into the sub-dimensions of his reality?

Whatever that journal might be or represent, Harry was suddenly quite glad it was safe at the Dursleys with the rest of his things. He made a mental note to retrieve it as soon as possible once he had left this 'private' sub-dimension of the Sustainers.

But that thought raised another important question.

"Well, now that you mention it, with the instability of reality and all, how will I be able to shift between realities? I mean, if you guys can't move between them, how could I?"

Mrs. Zabini nodded to Mr. Chang, who stood abruptly and walked out of the room.

"Harry, we have a secret magical device, one that can be used to shift between realities. Remember, the key is that you are always you; it is merely your perceptions that change. Ah, here we are." Beatrice took a small wooden box from the returning Mr. Chang. "Mr. Ollivander, if you will?"

Ollivander removed a hidden key from somewhere and unlocked the box. He removed a small but elegant bracelet from the box and handed it to Mrs. Zabini.

Mrs. Zabini leaned forward, allowing Harry to get a better look. The bracelet looked to be made out of brass-like material, and it was overlaid with white, pale gems in a complete circle. A small figure of an angry dog's head protruded from the edge of the bracelet, reminding Harry quite a bit of Sirius' Animagus form.

"Go ahead, Harry, put it on," Mrs. Zabini said, proffering the mysterious bracelet. "It's safe."

Cautiously, Harry accepted the bracelet and carefully slid it onto his left wrist. Almost instantly, the top three gems burst into a visible yellow light, while the two gems surrounding them on each side all glowed bright green. Several more gems lit up slightly, while the rest remained the same appearance. The exception was a single blue gem a few to the right.

"So what do the different lights mean?" Harry asked, feeling it to be the appropriately obvious question.

"The top three yellow lights represent the primary reality view." Mrs. Zabini pointed her hand up. "They are the three 'high-level' realities that are always merged, never apart. Those three together represent what we have been calling the 'primary' reality, the ones that contain everything else. The four green ones, two on each side, are the two east and two west sub-dimensions that are the most stable. Those are ones we can still access, even now.

"The blue gem you've noticed is where you are right now. All the lights that are lit indicate ones stable enough at the moment for you to shift to. You probably noticed it didn't light up at all until you put it on. Like we've said already, that is because it has been specifically keyed to work with you alone."

"So how do I move between them?" Harry asked. "And why can't anyone else use this bracelet?"

Mrs. Zabini pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Harry, you know how to apparate, correct?"

Harry nodded.

"Well, then, recall that it requires a bit of Will to work. Essentially, the bracelet works the same way. You press the desired location, indicated by the gem, and will yourself there. I think you'll be able to figure it out. Try it a bit with the more stable ones first to practice, but I think you'll get the idea." Beatrice frowned and looked Harry in the eye. "As to your other question, a quite valid one certainly, the answer is that it is your connection to Voldemort, and therefore his Horcruxes, that allows you greater access to the many sub-dimensions. We have added an additional spell to the bracelet to show you where the Horcruxes will be. If a gem lights up bright red, it means a sub-dimension with a Horcrux can be accessed by you. For us, no gems would ever be red."

Harry sighed and rotated his wrist, looking over the entire bracelet. "Hey, there are only fifteen or so gems here. That can't possibly be how many sub-dimensions there are, can there? Seems an awfully low number."

"Not in the slightest, Mr. Potter," Ollivander remarked. "But as your position changes, the gems will shift as well. But be forewarned – the further you shift, the more dangerous and different the sub-dimensions will be. We can only wonder how they may appear to you."

Harry felt his pulse quicken, and he grew excited. He attempted to keep his voice steady. Finally, a chance to escape! "It sounds like you've told me everything I need to know, right?"

"Well, for the most part," Mrs. Zabini said cautiously. "But there are a few other things we could talk about. We never finished that story about Grindelwald and Dumbledore."

"Oh, I'm sure you can tell me the rest later," Harry said dismissively, standing up suddenly. "I assume I can come back if I need any help? And after I get the Horcruxes?" He added as an afterthought.

"Very well," Mrs. Zabini said, looking apprehensive. "Harry, you don't need to rush into this! But, well, if you must go, please don't forget where we are, the position of the gem, I mean. If you shift there and go to Ollivander's, we'll find you."

"Sounds like a plan," Harry replied with a grin. He glanced around the room quickly. Ollivander looked back, a blank expression on his face as always. Beatrice appeared worried, while Mr. Chang merely looked annoyed, seemingly his default expression. And Cho smiled slightly, looking highly amused.

Harry decided that enough was enough. Dumbledore had been right in his original letter the entire time, he decided. This was just another group looking to control and take advantage of him. Well, if they made the mistake of giving him a way out too early, he wasn't going to let them take it back without a fight. He looked at the bracelet and focused on the three yellow gems, brushing his fingers across them. Thinking over what Mrs. Zabini had explained, Harry considered what he would need to do to activate the magical bracelet. Without realizing it, he suddenly knew exactly how.

Harry took a deep breath and pushed his Will at the gems. Suddenly, faster than he could blink, he was gone.

* * *

**_Courage without conscience is a wild beast – Robert Ingersoll _**

Dinner at the Burrow was always an event, even when the Weasleys had been a married couple with no children. Arthur had always been a very hard worker, and his work ethic had always impressed his wife. Molly had always been attracted to the resilience and good humor of her husband, but had constantly worried about living up to his expectations. Naturally, Arthur didn't particularly care one way or the other, but Molly had always been more than a bit neurotic in more ways than one.

So Molly responded the only way she knew how: by putting all her energy into creating the "perfect" home for her family. A job would be too difficult, and would get in the way of raising children and keeping order in her household.

She used the old cooking charms she had learned from her mother (which she had hated at the time), and managed to become more efficient than the average house elf at cooking large meals and cleaning her small house. She would never come close to the magnificent efficiency of the Hogwarts elves, but it was always something for Molly to endlessly strive for.

Arthur, not really understanding the scope of his wife's obsession, reacted normally, always being complimentary, always helping out whenever he could. And yet, he was always surprised when Molly regularly refused his help, telling him he needed the break from his rigorous work schedule. Of course, this was often true, but Molly's true motivation was that she felt the intense desire to prove herself worthy to her husband, who always remained completely oblivious, and frankly thought Molly seemed to work too hard.

There was a reason Percy had been so obsessed with working hard, with two parents who valued it so highly.

Of course, the current spread of sumptuous cuisine which the Weasleys shared with the Delacours was even more lavish than the typical Weasley feast. Fleur's mother Apolline was obsessed and determined to make a good impression as well, albeit for slightly different reasons than Mrs. Weasley.

Growing up half-veela, Apolline hated her heritage and the easy advantages it seemed to provide, as she could easily see the shallowness behind it. She yearned to show that she was more than the beautiful and enchanting half-veela everyone seemed to see.

She studied and pushed herself to her limit, becoming quite a talented witch in her own right, an example that Fleur would emulate for exactly the same reasons. Apolline loved her husband because of his easygoing and friendly nature, and the fact that he truly didn't seem to care about her heritage. But still, she had to show that she, more than others, was the perfect guest, and had nothing of the monstrous veela power she feared everyone suspected of her.

Perhaps it was foolish to sublimate such a key aspect of her, but Apolline still yearned to impress, and new in-laws were the perfect targets. So she and Mrs. Weasley ended up collaborating to create a sheer quantity and quality of food that even their ravenous families could not hope to finish.

But perhaps this wasn't helped by the fact that two who normally had the largest appetites barely ate anything at all. Bill ate nervously, constantly watching his sister for anything suspicious and becoming increasingly worried as nothing seemed to change. He was able to easily pass off the nervousness as worrying about impressing Fleur's parents, and Fleur was too distracted talking with her family to notice Bill picking at his food.

He waited and worried, hoping that his prepared recording spell would have the answers he needed. But as he waited, he considered another worrisome thought, one he had not shared with Ron. There was also the possibility, albeit slim, that Ron himself was someone else, so Bill had drugged his younger brother's food as well.

Ron hadn't eaten much of his food, looking quite nervous, but he had eaten enough that any glamours or similar spells should have revealed themselves.

For his part, Ron felt oddly like he couldn't eat another bite, something he could never remember experiencing. At first, he avoided looking at Ginny, but then wondered if that looked too suspicious, and started looking around the table in the most casual manner he could manage. As far as he could tell, Ginny didn't suspect anything was amiss, at least Ron hoped as much.

He could scarcely wait until Bill would tell him the results of his incomprehensible spell.

The rest of the meal passed in a blur, and before he knew it, Ron was up in his room, staring at his bright orange wall. It didn't seem quite fair that he had been obliviated more than once, that type of thing was fine for Muggles, but this had just been malicious.

Cursing under his breath, Ron fell back into his bed, exhausted from a stressful day. He hoped Bill would find something soon. Ron yawned and stretched. Maybe he would just rest his eyes, only for a minute.

In the attic, Bill looked over the results of his monitoring charm. He had complained of a headache and mentioned he had a pain relieving potion upstairs. Still busy with her setting up wedding even at this late hour, Fleur had readily accepted the excuse.

Bill frowned as he scanned the document. It displayed the results of his charm, updated automatically, similar in theory to the self-dictating quills. This variation displayed the results of a hidden diagnostic charm Bill can cast on Ginny.

"This couldn't possibly be right," Bill murmured. "Damn it, this is trouble."

* * *

_**And throughout the entire land of Egypt, the land was destroyed because of the swarms of wild beasts. **_

It was sensation akin in many ways to apparition, at least at first. Harry felt as though he had been compressed through a small space, smashed in on all sides. But then he had the oddest sensation of falling asleep, the world around him fading to darkness. The images of a dreamscape flashed before him, but in an instant, it was as though he had awoken from the deepest of sleeping. He thought he felt himself opening his eyes involuntarily, to see the familiar vision of Ollivander's wandmaking shop.

It all seemed to happen in a mere moment.

Shaking his head to clear it, Harry cautiously looked around. There was no obvious evidence of his recent kidnapping, and no one seemed to be hiding behind any of the many empty shelves. It was odd, Harry thought to himself. Throughout his 'interview' with the Sustainers, Harry had constantly been thinking that there was more to the story, and he could never tell what they weren't telling him.

And yet, the bracelet radiated with a power that Harry could easily feel; it seemed to resonate with his very being. The power of the mysterious artifact seemed obvious and clear to Harry; he _knew _it would work as he desired, at a level he could only begin to articulate. But much of what he had already experienced in a few hours was confusing to a severe degree.

Harry stepped outside and glanced up at the sun. It hung low in the sky; evening was rapidly approaching. Harry shook his in disbelief. He could hardly believe so much had changed only a day after his birthday, in fact, his mind boggled at the sheer ridiculousness of what had happened in a single day. Studying Runes, sending messages to the Order and his friends, visiting Slughorn... well, that had really started everything off right quick, hadn't it?

Wait... it was still the same day, wasn't it? Harry realized he couldn't be sure; it wasn't clear how long he had been unconscious. Harry quickly approached a nearby Auror on patrol and cleared his throat. The Auror looked back in annoyance, only to start when he noticed who it was.

"Listen, I'm not in trouble or anything," Harry said quickly. "I just want to know the date – it's important!"

"Um, it's August 1st, Mr. Potter," the Auror answered nervously. "Are you sure everything's all right?"

Harry signed in relief and shook his head. "No, that's exactly what I wanted to hear. Sorry to bother you, it's just been a long day, you understand."

The Auror smiled brightly. "Not at all, Mr. Potter. It was a pleasure to meet you. I'm Auror Herbert Lightfoot, I've heard a lot about you." Lightfoot extended a hand to Harry, who shook it with a grin.

"I'm sure you have, Herbert," Harry winked. "But as you probably also heard, I've got quite a bit on my plate, so I'm afraid I must get going. Have a good evening, Auror Lightfoot."

The Auror grinned and straightened his uniform. "Same to you, Mr. Potter."

As he walked down the road, Harry reflected on his brief encounter with the authorities. So it was still the same day, and yet, it seemed like the morning of practicing runic realignment was miles away. Harry wondered what the most effective test of his new bracelet might be; perhaps Zabini hadn't been mistaken in her suggestion to try the "stable" green gems.

Harry shrugged. It seemed as good an idea as any. He touched one of the glowing green gems and extended his Will. The sudden shift was almost unexpected, but after a moment, it was done. The scene had completely changed... he wasn't in Diagon Alley anymore. But it looked familiar... With a start, Harry realized he was now sitting in the Leaky Cauldron. He shook his head to clear it of the disoriented sensations.

"Harry, are you all right there?"

Harry's eyes widened as realized he had missed noticing his immediate surroundings. Parvati Patil sat next to him at the table, sitting across from Neville and Luna. Parvati put her hand on Harry's and looked pensive.

"Harry, what's wrong? You look almost drunk!" Parvati giggled after she said this.

Neville snorted. "You tease him too much, Parvati."

Harry whipped his head back at Neville, his mouth dropped open. What the…?

Neville blinked and leaned back in surprise. "What's wrong, Harry? You're not expecting us to start in, are you?"

Luna blinked and tilted her head. "You shouldn't be so shocked, Harry. It's not like Neville and I are a couple like you two." As usual, Luna had been shockingly perceptive.

A… couple? The words bounced around in Harry's head for a minute. Steeling himself, Harry forced himself to grin. He hadn't realized that shifting to sub-dimensions would be so jarring. What else could be different?

"So, um, now that I'm thinking about it…" Harry looked up at his friends and his apparent girlfriend. "Where are your significant others, anyway?" Harry held his breath, hoping that he shouldn't have already known this.

Neville frowned, drumming his fingers on the table. "Well, Ron's with his family for the meal with Fleur's folks, remember? And I think Hermione's at home with her parents, at least I assume so."

Harry kept himself from starting with only an enormous amount of will. Neville and Hermione? Ron and LUNA? The sheer impossibility of it seemed almost crazier than the complicated stories from the Sustainers. And yet, the obvious differences seemed to support what they had said, at least in part.

So some aspect of himself was dating Parvati; that didn't seem so unbelievable, even considering their disastrous Yule date. And Neville had certainly always seemed to have a crush on Hermione – maybe she had a small part of herself that liked him back. Luna, well, who could really predict who she was attracted to?

Although as he considered it, Harry was able to recall a few odd moments when Luna had seemed to be flirting with Ron. Maybe she liked the prat? And Ron… Well, Harry supposed Ron would date anyone who was interested and attractive enough. And since Hermione was taken, and perhaps so was Lavender, Luna probably seemed a reasonable alternative to Ron's warped sense of logic.

Harry chuckled and leaned back in his chair. It didn't seem all bad. Maybe he could find out exactly how things had gotten this way, or if it was just an odd manifestation of reality. Probably best to start with the obvious questions. But how to broach the subject? After all, if he had been dating Parvati here, she might not appreciate Harry just blatantly asking how they had met. Ah, wait a minute... Harry grinned as the perfect idea came to him.

Harry turned to Parvati. "Speaking of significant others, you know I was just thinking. Have you ever told these two the story of how we started dating?"

Parvati smiled brilliantly. "Actually, no! Ooh, you guys are going to love this story!"

Perfect.

* * *

Next time…

_Plague and pestilence come to swarm over those weak and pitiful creatures. None shall be spared, unless they are protected by the strong._

Aseret HaMakot

BLOOD FROGS LICE BEASTS PESTILENCE BOILS HAIL LOCUSTS DARKNESS DEATH OF THE FIRST BORN


	5. PESTILENCE

Damn, it's been a while. I quite apologize. If it's any consolation, this was more painful for me in some ways - one scene just WOULDN'T GET WRITTEN. But I think I'm better now.

Disclaimer: All non-original Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling and her affiliated companies. I'm just taking them out for some overdue cleaning.

_

* * *

The story has reached a halfway point - only another five more after this one. And don't forget now – this story isn't quite the Harry Potter world JKR created._

_Our story thus far:_

_It is the day after Harry's birthday, and he can now finally legally perform magic. He is expected soon at the Weasleys, but first, he has a meeting planned with Professor Slughorn on the subject of Horcruxes. To Harry's dismay, Slughorn explains that Horcruxes are even more dangerous and disruptive than either Harry or Voldemort has so far realized, and Riddle unknowingly made a foolish mistake by creating so many Horcruxes. Slughorn further reveals to Harry that someone is monitoring his activities, preventing the Professor from explaining the situation fully. As a parting gift, he gives Harry the old diary of Grindelwald. After returning to Privet Drive, Harry receives a letter from Dumbledore written before he died, confirming much of what Slughorn had already said, but further mentioning a hidden and dangerous war, and that anyone could be suspect._

_Shaken, Harry decides to follow Dumbledore's advice and goes to Diagon Alley, where he sneaks into Ollivander's abandoned wand shop, finding another hidden message from Dumbledore. He is surprised by the sudden appearance of Ollivander and Cho Chang, enough to be ambushed by a Stunning spell. Harry awakens to find himself in an unknown bed, and is told by Cho that he is under the influence of two Dark obsession curses, one focused on Ginny Weasley (artificially amplifying attraction), the other on Draco Malfoy (amplifying paranoia). A Healer arrives to remove the curses, and Harry passes out for the second time that day thanks to the Healer's efforts._

_Later, the monitoring charm is redirected by Beatrice Zabini, and Harry finally gets some answers. He is told that reality is in fact made up of many sub-dimensions, each reflecting one aspect of the "combined" reality view people normally see. An ancient war between several groups has waged for millennia for control of these pure elements of reality. Apparently Ollivander, Beatrice Zabini, and Cho Chang and her father are part of a secret alliance called The Sustainers, dedicated to maintaining the ancient balance of reality. They are opposed by the Circle of Pure Chaos, the Order of Splitting Realities, the Dividers of Merging Realities, the Deciders of Power from Chaos, and the Shadows of Regenesis from Chaos._

_Harry is given a mysterious bracelet that allows him, and only him, to travel between sub-dimensions and the main combined reality. The Sustainers tell him that he must find the pieces of the Horcruxes spread over the sub-dimensions and destroy them with the ones in the primary reality. It is only because of Harry's connection to Voldemort that he can travel between now the unstable realities. He is told that the creation of Horcruxes breaks apart the sub-dimensions, and each new one increased the instability exponentially. Now, reality itself threatens to be ripped apart._

_Finally given a change to escape by using the bracelet, Harry deftly avoids further discussions and shifts back to the primary reality. It is now early in the evening. Now he has to decide exactly what he will do now. Harry decides to start by visiting one of the similar, more "stable" sub-dimensions. He finds himself at a slightly different sub-dimension, where he is dating Parvati Patil, Neville Longbottom is dating Hermione, and Luna Lovegood is somehow dating Ron._

_Meanwhile, Ron accidentally finds a hidden box in Ginny's room, one with a mysterious Dark runic marking. He writes it down, with a reminder to ask Bill, only to be obliviated by Ginny moments later. Later, wandering around uselessly, Ron finds a note he doesn't remember writing, and asks Bill for advice. Bill realizes the significance of the mark, and uses a semi-legal charm to recover Ron's memory._

_Now knowing that Ginny was the culprit, Bill and Ron hatch a plan to discover why Ginny has acted so strangely. Ginny's food is laced with a potion to reveal glamours, but nothing seems to happen... Luckily Bill has a backup plan, and casts a spell to write down any lingering curses or possible possessions. But exactly what has he found?_

* * *

_**The Leaky Cauldron, just a bit East of the Primary Reality**_

Harry put his arm casually over the back of Parvati's chair, hoping he did not look as awkward as he felt. How different was this Harry from himself? They seemed to be friends with the same people, with the one exception of Parvati, but she was a Gryffindor at least. On the other hand, how different could things be if Ron and Luna, of all people, somehow starting dating? And Neville and Hermione... well, Neville seemed an improvement to Ron, in any event. He probably appreciated Hermione more than Ron; Neville would never try to make her jealous like Ron, right?

"Well, as you can imagine, I was quite surprised Harry had finally asked me to go the Ball," Parvati lit up excitedly as she told her favorite story. "I mean, I had been dropping hints for weeks, but you know how boys are. He probably missed every one."

Luna nodded with a smile. "Yes, Ronald is quite foolish in that regard."

"I doubt I'll ever completely understand Hermione." Neville chuckled with a sheepish grin.

Harry nodded, thinking about these responses. Ron was a fool around girls? Neville didn't understand Hermione? Maybe things weren't that different here after all.

"Harry's not as bad now, of course," Parvati said, smiling quite prettily at her apparent boyfriend. "Back then, though, I had to spell everything out. He was always so worried about what I thought; he would completely miss the subtext every time."

Parvati giggled. "I remember when Harry smashed his nose when I tried to kiss him once. He told Madame Pomfrey it was a Quidditch accident. He was so embarrassed!"

Harry reddened slightly. "Parvati!" He didn't have to fake his embarrassment at this particular story. "Why don't you finish telling them what happened after the Ball?"

"That one always gets Harry blushing," Parvati said with a smirk. "But all right, Harry, I'll continue the story. It's a good one, too."

Neville sighed. "That Ball was a mess for everyone. Ron kept alternating between staring at Hermione and glaring at me and Ginny. I wasn't sure what was making Hermione madder, to be honest. At least Krum seemed to enjoy her company, right? I mean, I was jealous of him too, but at least it didn't prevent me from trying to have a good time."

Luna patted Neville's hand. "It worked out for you in the end, Neville, didn't it? And now I'm the one stuck with Ronald," Luna said with a smile.

Parvati narrowed her eyes and looked at Luna. "Luna, I still don't know what you see in him. He's a total prat!"

Luna shrugged and looked unconcerned. "He's very enthusiastic."

Harry swallowed nervously, trying very hard not to think about what that could possibly mean.

Neville appeared not to have this discipline, and looked nauseated.

"Harry wasn't the perfect gentleman at first," Parvati continued, looking as if she was also trying to ignore Luna's latest uncomfortable comment. "He couldn't keep his eyes off that_ tramp_." Parvati frowned, her lips tightening. "Well, I wasn't about to just sit there and take his idiocy, so I danced with some French boy, hoping to make Harry jealous, like I was feeling."

Harry shrugged and tried to think of something appropriate to say. "Well, obviously I had no idea how lucky I was to be with you." He held his breath, hoping this wouldn't seem out of character.

Parvati looked incredibly pleased and pecked Harry on the cheek. "You're so sweet, Harry. And so frightfully honest!"

Neville burst into laughter, and Harry joined in, relieved he had not slipped up.

The story continued on for some time after that, and Harry had difficulty paying attention to Parvati, who seemed to go on frequent tangents. Luna, it seemed, had no problems following the thread of conversation, but Harry took solace that Neville seemed as bored as he was at the exceedingly long history of their relationship.

"And that's basically it. We've had our ups and downs, but we've been together ever since!" Parvati beamed happily at Harry, who returned the grin a bit weakly.

Had he really just missed the entire story? It would probably be a bit churlish to ask her to summarize the whole thing again, and Harry didn't particularly feel like spending that much more time at this "almost, but not quite" reality.

Parvati snuggled up to Harry, who felt his face heat up slightly. He could easily feel the lithe curves of his "girlfriend's" form through her relatively thin summer robes. Well, maybe sticking around just a little while wouldn't be so awful.

But after a few minutes, Harry began to get the feeling that he was intruding on someone else. Interacting with Parvati and his friends was almost too easy, like it was just another part of him. It never seemed like he said anything suspicious or out of character, no matter how little he knew of this reality. On the other hand, that would fit the convoluted explanation he had received from the Balancers group.

Still, it seemed too much like he was "poaching" from himself, as odd a thought that might be even to him. He couldn't keep doing what seemed to amount to stealing from himself. Harry's finger hovered over the second green gem on his bracelet, and he hesitated a moment. He couldn't hold it more any longer, and activated the gem. Instantly, everything shifted, the same compressed sensation as the first times.

But when his vision restored, Harry gaped unconsciously. He was still at the Leaky Cauldron.

* * *

**CHAPTER 5: PESTILENCE**

Ron Weasley was bored. Frightfully bored, to be precise. He had been lying on his bed for hours of nothing, at least it seemed that way to his exaggerated perspective. An attempt at taking a short nap proved short-lived, as Ron could not help but think of the odd events of the day. In truth, Ron often felt that everything ran in extremes, either exceedingly fast, or frustratingly slow. In most of his classes, it often seemed as if the subject material was really easy or unbelievably difficult. So Ron always ended up relying on the only people who could stand his capricious personality, his overly-fastidious friend Hermione to lead him through things he couldn't understand, or his easily-distracted friend Harry to join Ron in alleviating his boredom.

Ron could never quite understand why he could never stay friends with people for long, and found himself growing exasperated even by his own family members. However, the one exception had been his older brother Bill, whom Ron had always been a touch afraid of. But Ron had his limit, and this was the first instance he could remember ever waiting any significant amount of time for Bill. Grumbling impatiently, Ron flipped out of bed, stumbling a bit before awkwardly getting to his feet.

He stepped into the hallway, and looked around, still cognizant of the sensitive subject matter they had been investigating. Ron didn't see anything in his brief glance, and was frankly far too impatient to finally get something done. He sneaked up the stairs to the attic and knocked softly, showing nearly unheard of restraint.

The door quickly opened, and Bill waved his brother inside, looking more nervous than Ron could ever remember of him. Ron froze, feeling his own nervousness magnified, and Bill was forced to drag Ron into the attic. Bill turned and muttered a quick warding charm on the door. He sighed and collapsed into a nearby chair.

"Bill, what's wrong?" Ron paced back and forth nervously. "I was just coming up here to find out what information you got on Ginny's possession. I know you told me you'd be down soon to talk, but I got impatient. I'm sorry, but…"

Bill held up a hand to forestall any further apology. "Don't worry about it, Ronnie. I didn't want to leave the attic right now anyway. I was just about to send a Patronus down to fetch you."

Ron looked stunned. "A Patronus? You can send messages with them? How?"

"It's not that complicated," Bill said dismissively. "Once you figure out how to achieve a corporeal form, transmitting a mental or verbal message is relatively simple. The Order uses them for official messages all the time."

"Why?" Ron asked. "I mean, instead of flooing somebody or using an owl?"

"Well, a Patronus can't be easily intercepted; in fact it's almost impossible, even with powerful magic. And you can't fake its signature, even if the form might be fluid or unstable. Let me just simplify it," Bill shook his head at Ron's dumbfounded expression. "A message can be sent with a Patronus that cannot be faked or intercepted except by ridiculously powerful magic, and only a few very rare wards are even known that can absorb the magical output of a corporeal Patronus. In short, they are reliable and safe ways to send a message to anyone reasonably close, within a couple hundred miles anyway."

"So what's your Patronus, then?" Ron asked with a grin. "Is it a cat or an owl? Or maybe a wo-" Ron broke off with a pale expression. "Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it Bill. I wasn't thinking of your, um, encounter with the werewolf."

Bill chuckled at Ron's frightened face. "Don't worry about it, Ronnie. Actually, you're right. A Patronus form reflects the strongest animal atavism a witch or wizard has as a part of themselves, and to be honest, the wolf really dominates in that way. It's probably the same for anyone in a similar situation."

Ron looked thoughtful. "Then why do you think Harry's Patronus is a stag? Could he have been bitten by a were-stag?"

Bill's jaw dropped. "A were-stag? Ron, what in Merlin's arse are you babbling about? There's no such thing."

"I'm just saying, there could be, right?"

"No, Ron," Bill grimaced and looked exasperated. "And would you mind terribly if we returned to what actually matters here? You remember, right, Ginny's little attack on you?"

Ron frowned and looked annoyed. "Yes, I haven't forgotten, Bill!" He growled this last bit angrily. "But you haven't exactly been the most supportive brother today, at least not completely."

Bill sighed. "Ron, what is that supposed to mean? It's not supportive when I help recover your Obliviated memory?"

"Not that, Bill," Ron hurried to clarify. "I meant that you keep ignoring me when I try to tell you about the other times I've been Obliviated. Why aren't you letting me tell you about it? I think it might be important."

"Yeah, about that," Bill grinned a bit rakishly. "I was worried you might not be 'yourself' like we were thinking about Ginny. To be honest, I thought you might be lying, if it wasn't you, that is. That doesn't sound quite right… Okay, let me start again. I was just making sure you weren't yourself like Ginny, but I couldn't be sure until I checked your food too. So sorry about that. Nothing came up – of course. I actually do want to know about the Obliviation problems. Was it Ginny the other times?"

Ron sat down on the floor and slumped against the wall. "Actually one of the times, it was her. But I've been Obliviated six times, near as I can tell."

"Six?" Bill interjected incredulously. "How long has this been going on? Is it someone we know?"

"Yeah… I knew all of them," Ron mumbled in a depressed tone. "Ginny twice, Snape twice, Dumbledore once, and McGonnagal once. Oh, and Lockhart did it once too. And I don't really get why they did it either."

Bill swallowed and looked worriedly back at his younger brother. "Well, that's all quite worrisome. We'll have to revisit the specifics later, but first, what were the circumstances of the first time Ginny Obliviated you?"

Ron shook his head and looked slightly amused. "Actually, it was just like this time in some ways. It was two years ago in Hogwarts, and I found her with the diary. I was shocked, considering that Harry told me he had given it back to Malfoy after he shoved a basilisk fang through it. I knew that it had possessed her before, but I thought it was useless, you can understand why I was so unnerved to see her with it again. So right then, she suddenly Obliviates me."

"The diary…" Bill rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You know, I didn't think much about it at the time. I guess I was too worried about Ginny. But historically, the caustic venom of the Basilisk is said to be among the most destructive substances known to exist, even to the point of being capable of destroying powerful magical objects. So really the diary could've been anything from mildly Dark, like a contained vampiric essence, to severely evil, like a multi-layered Horcrux."

Ron stared. "You know what a Horcrux is?" He asked in a shocked tone.

Bill glanced back sharply at Ron. "YOU know what a Horcrux is?" Bill retorted.

"Um," Ron looked back and forth nervously. "No."

Bill groaned. "Ron, that's seriously Dark magic. You need to tell me if you know anything about that subject, or anyone who's been experimenting with it. Please don't say it was Fred and George somehow stumbling onto the subject, this would be going too bloody far."

"I'm not really supposed to tell anyone," Ron protested with a weak grin. "I promised, you understand."

Bill's lips tightened. "Ron, unless this has something to do with You-Know-Who himself, I doubt there's anything you've come across that's outside my area of expertise."

Ron shrugged and rubbed his neck. He attempt to chuckle in a calm manner, but it only served to make him appear more nervous. "I wouldn't know anything about that," Ron remarked evasively.

"Ron, are you telling me… that diary might have been a Horcrux of You-Know-Who?" Bill looked shocked. "But how could you possibly have figured that out?"

"Um, well, I didn't personally figure that out," Ron began, quite unnerved at Bill's accurate conclusion. "And even if the diary was one of You-Know-Who's Horcruxes, wouldn't it have been destroyed by the basilisk fang, like you said? How could it keep on possessing Ginny all this time?"

"That's a good point, Ron." Bill frowned. "Even a broken Horcrux wouldn't… wait, did you say 'Horcruxes'? As in more than one? Ron, that's bloody insane!"

"It is?" Ron asked dumbfounded. "But I thought it was a way of becoming immortal, you know, like splitting your soul to keep yourself from dying, right?"

Bill's mouth hung open in shock. "Ron, where… where did you hear about this? Who told you what a Horcrux was?"

"Well, Harry told us," Ron said, looking uncomfortable. "I think Dumbledore told him about them last year, they did spend a lot of time together."

"Bloody hell." Bill closed his eyes and breathed in deeply before reopening his eyes. "Right. So I guess I shouldn't be too surprised at the most powerful Dark wizard in decades using some of the Darkest of magic. Even so, I've never even heard of someone trying to create multiple Horcruxes, let alone succeeding. Do you know how many he created, Ron? Did Harry mention any specifics?"

"I'm not sure I should be saying anything, really. I don't really remember all the details, that's Hermione's job."

Bill frowned. "Your friend Hermione also knows about this? Are you sure she's trustworthy?" He held up a hand as Ron started to open his mouth. "Never mind, it was a foolish question. I suppose Harry wouldn't be stupid enough to tell just anyone. Who else knows?"

"Just the three of us, after Dumbledore of course. And I guess, now you too." Ron looked pained. "Please don't tell them I said anything, it was supposed to be a secret."

Bill smiled slightly. "I understand, Ron. You all probably were planning to go on some secret mission to find and destroy all the Horcruxes, eh? Dumbledore spoke to Harry a great deal last year, you said? So he probably gave Harry some insight to where You-Know-Who hid his Horcruxes."

Ron goggled at his older brother. "Bill, how are you doing this?"

Bill chuckled a bit ruefully. "Experience, little brother. I've been doing this kind of thing quite a few years longer than you have, after all. But still, I wonder…" Bill shook his head abruptly, dismissing the wayward thoughts. "We're getting off track here. I found something very disturbing about Ginny, and this Horcrux business only adds complications to the whole business."

"So, um, what did you find then?" Ron asked, scratching his head.

"Nothing good, I'm afraid," Bill said soberly. "According to my investigative inquiry spell, Ginny is under some sort of external influence, although I'm not quite positive what that influence is."

"But do you have any idea at all?" Ron frowned. "Wasn't your spell supposed to explain what was going on then?"

"It's a bit technical, Ron," Bill explained. "I used a spell that references the Ministry of Magic Standards and Classifications, which is their extensive source of anything and everything magic and how exactly they define them. Basically it reported that Ginny is under some sort of influence, and evidence of energies consistent with enchantment magic performed actively on a magical person."

"So what do you mean by enchantment? Isn't that like just a charm or something?"

"Well, enchantments are charms, curses, whatever that maintain some lasting effect, whether or not it needs a separate energy source. Some spells will last forever unless cancelled or dispelled. In this case, and I'm being technical here for a minute, is designated as a spell of type under the Ministry's S&C Section 1.51 Subsection 7 – that is, mental magic specifically. The spell is defined as a type of E-5. Um." Bill paused for a moment. "Are you sure you want me to go into this, Ron? It gets a bit complicated."

Ron sighed. "You know, Bill, I'm bloody tired of not knowing anything about anything. Do you think I'm not capable of understanding this part then?"

Bill shook his head. "No, this part isn't that bad, really. Just a bit Ministry formal talk is all, but hardly anything like the advanced spellwork we've been dealing with already."

"Then just tell me," Ron begged earnestly. "And I'll ask for clarification if I don't get it, all right?"

Bill smiled and looked pleased. "Well, Ron, I'm impressed finally. I think I can handle that. I'm not the biggest fan of the Ministry definition process either, you understand, but it's the only way we have to deal with this business."

Ron nodded. "Right. So Ginny is affected by some enchantment? Or did you say mental magic?"

"A bit of both, Ron," Bill explained. "Remember, an enchantment just means there's a lasting effect over time, as opposed to some short-term or instantaneous effect. When I said E-5, that refers to the originator of the magic and the exact nature of that magic. Just to run down the list quickly, A through F, it goes A) Human, B) Humanoid, C) Corporeal, magical, D)…"

"Hold it," Ron broke in. "Corporeal? What's that? And what's a humanoid?"

"A humanoid is the Ministry word for any magical creature that isn't a human but has at least some traits in common. So goblins, elves, centaurs, etc would be humanoid, but ones like griffins, hippogriffs, acromantulas, those are called 'monsters' by the Ministry." Bill paused as he noticed Ron shivering suddenly. "Oh, sorry, forgot about the spiders, Ronnie. You really still afraid of them after all these years?"

"Well, sorry Bill," Ron snapped. "But forgive me if I still ain't a bit afraid still after having to face a hundred bloody acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest a few years ago."

Bill blinked. "You… what? Ron, when was this? How old were you?"

Ron scratched his head. "Let's see, the Anglia saved our arses that time, so that means it must've been our second year. Yeah, that sounds right. Of course, it turned out it wasn't even a spider roaming the school after all, but a basilisk. Merlin, I still don't really know everything that happened in the Chamber when Harry rescued Ginny. He doesn't really like to talk about it. Hey, do you think that this problem might be related to the Chamber of Secrets nonsense? It's got to be, with the diary and everything. Right?"

Bill rubbed his head and blinked a few more times. "Bloody hell, Ron. Okay, give me a second here to process all that. I know that Ginny was possessed by the diary and You-Know-Who, and that the Chamber was opened. Harry rescued her, that much I knew, but a basilisk? That was the danger at Hogwarts? Ron, why didn't you tell us?"

Ron looked away and shrugged. "I guess I thought you lot already knew. Sorry. Still, like I said, I don't know everything either. But what I said still makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does," Bill replied with a nod. "So what did the acro… You know what? I don't really want to know. At least now I know where Harry got the basilisk fang to puncture the diary."

Bill shook his head to clear it and continued. "So since we know You-Know-Who was possessing Ginny, and we further know that the diary was involved and was probably a Horcrux, we can certainly conjecture that the bloody thing had some lasting effect on Ginny. Merlin, Ron, what a bloody mess."

Ron looked pale, but attempted to rally himself. "Right, Bill, it is, isn't it then? So, um, you were saying? About corporal-whatsit?"

"Corporeal. And that just means substantial, like it has a physical strata connected, like a person or a statue."

"But not something like a ghost?"

Bill grinned. "Nicely done, Ronnie. You're exactly right. That's why we call ghosts incorporeal, because they don't have any physical form, although they can manipulate physical objects. So let's see, where was I? Corporeal, was it?"

Ron nodded.

"Right, so it was Corporeal, magical, then D) Corporeal, non-magic – that means something that has a physical form but isn't of magical origin, like an animal. That magical corporeal one is often used for monsters, like I mentioned earlier. And then there's E) Non-Corporeal, like ghosts and the like, and finally F) Unknown, Other, which just means the Ministry doesn't know what else could be involved. So in our case, it's something non-corporeal affecting Ginny."

"And you said a number, too, right? It was five, right? What does that mean?"

"That bit's a tad more complicated, Ron," Bill answered. "But let me see what I can explain. It refers to the nature of the magic, like whether it's bad or good or what have you. The first type is number one, or benign and static. Benign means not harmful, and static means the mental magic doesn't change for each time it's used. A good example would be Occlumency, which is a kind of mental magic to protect the mind."

"I've heard of that," Ron realized. "Harry was taking lessons with Snape to protect his mind since You-Know-Who was sending him visions. Okay, I got it. What about the opposite – I think it was called Legolamancy or something? Is that the same category?"

Bill's eye twitched and his fists clenched for a second. "Um, that's Legilimency, Ron. And I'm going to ignore the rest of that before I get a heart attack. Actually some of the passive forms of Legilimency actually do follow in that category, but not all. That kind of magic could potentially be used, among its masters, to severely damage someone's mind. The next category is called benign and dynamic, the same idea as before, harmless too. The difference is that the magic changes per use, so a good example would be Obliviation."

"That's harmless? What about Lockhart?" Ron asked.

"What about him?"

"He got Obliviated when he used my old broken wand to try and Obliviate us in my second year. Now he's in St. Mungo's. So how is that harmless?"

Bill chuckled tonelessly. "Damn it all, Ron, stop overloading me with disturbing information about your previous Hogwarts years. And anyway, I didn't choose the Ministry classifications, Ron. Besides, Obliviation usually is harmless. Like anything, bad circumstances can cause Obliviation to be bad for someone."

"Oh," Ron said. "Fair enough."

"So moving on then, we covered benign magic, but after that it gets a bit more sinister. The next category is called forceful and malignant magic, and after that unconscious and malignant. Let me clarify, because I know you'd ask about that anyway."

Bill grinned. "Malignant is the opposite of benign, it means harmful. And forceful means the magic was intentional and active; like someone purposefully trying something. And unconscious, as you might guess, is the opposite; magic that isn't intentionally activated but harmful nonetheless."

"And what's an example of those two?" Ron asked with a smirk.

"You don't really want to know in this case, Ron," Bill said seriously. "This is where it comes to the bizarre and Dark magic stuff. The kind of business You-Know-You would be capable of, and maybe what he did to Harry. Some of the magic that falls in these categories doesn't even have proper names, because they are unique each time."

Ron grimaced. "Fine, fine, whatever. So keeping track, I think, that's up to five then, innit?"

"Yes, which is called symbiotic magic. That means that the magic isn't just from one source onto a target, but that there's so kind of interaction, like the caster of the spell and the target of the spell are both doing something together."

"So let me see if I can summarize all that," Ron said, thinking carefully. "That means Ginny has been targeted by some kind of non-physical something that could be related to the diary Horcrux, with a kind of mental magic enchantment, meaning it lasts for some reasonable amount of time, and finally, is somehow involved with Ginny instead of just targeting her. Does that sound close?"

"Reasonably succinct, Ron," Bill nodded. "I'm impressed. That's just about right. Of course, I'm not really an expert in Horcruxes – it's a highly restricted area of magic that is difficult to learn any kind of information about. I've heard of some books that reference that type of magic, but they're all controlled by the Ministry – who as you might guess, don't like anyone learning anything at all about the subject."

"So now what?" Ron asked. "I mean, what do we do about Ginny?"

Bill shook his head ruefully. "To be honest, Ron, I have no bloody idea."

* * *

**_Behold, the hand of the Lord will be upon your livestock that is in the field, upon the horses, upon the donkeys, upon the camels, upon the cattle, and upon the sheep, a very severe pestilence._**

**_The Leaky Cauldron, just a little bit more East of the Primary Reality than the last time_**

Harry bit his lip in annoyance. Did the bracelet even work correctly this time? Everything seemed the same; Parvati sitting next to him, uncomfortably close, and they still sat across the table from Neville and Luna. So what was the difference?

"That's very interesting," Harry managed to say, his mind racing.

Luna tilted her head and looked at Harry with an oddly curious expression. She nodded slightly, as though she had just seen something expected. Harry dismissed this, not really understanding her subtle mannerisms.

"So, um, Neville," Harry stuttered a bit, trying to get his thoughts in order. "When did you know that, um, she was the one? I mean, you know, the one for the relationship…"

Neville broke in, seeming to sense Harry's discomfort. "How did I know about Ginny?"

Harry blinked. So Ginny and Neville, as opposed to Hermione and Neville? That was a difference. But Parvati still clung closely to his side, so that was the same. That left what, if anything, was different with Luna, Ron, and Hermione.

"I don't think it was anything incredibly dramatic or anything." Neville explained. "Just after the Ball, we just went on another date, then another, and so on. I guess it just felt right after a year or so. Sort of like Hermione and Krum. Who would've guessed that would last, eh?" Neville chuckled.

Okay, so that was a bit different. But if Hermione was involved, was Ron still with Luna? Harry felt a burning curiosity that was almost painful. He had to know!

"Yeah, but what about Ron?"

Neville and Luna looked confusedly back at Harry. Parvati sighed and stroked Harry's arm, sending a not entirely unwelcome wave of warmth over his body.

"It's good of you to be able to talk about him," Parvati sniffed, her eyes watering slightly. "I know we all miss him terribly."

Harry paled as this latest bit of information penetrated. Miss him terribly? But that meant… oh no.

"Wow, um, yeah, I think about him all the time," Harry said, choking up a bit. Damn, this apparent "sub" Ron death was really starting to affect him. Harry cleared his throat and glanced at his watch nervously.

"Holy… damn, it's late! I was supposed to meet the Ord…, um, I mean, some of Aurors back at the Dursleys an hour ago!" Harry grimaced. With all the nonsense of the day, Harry had completely forgotten about his planned "escape" with the Order.

Parvati blinked in confusion. "But Harry, I don't understand. I thought you were already moved out."

With a sudden realization, Harry groaned. Of course! Who knew exactly what else had changed in this sub-dimension? It was the primary one where he planned to leave with the Order. Harry started to think about how to extricate himself from the conversation, when he suddenly realized it didn't matter.

"Oh, the hell with it," Harry grumbled, and focused his will on the three main yellow gems, which represented the primary reality. The sudden sensation of simultaneous compression and emptiness swept over Harry, but was quickly gone. He was back on the streets of Diagon Alley, the only difference the now completely darkened sky.

Harry grinned. Perhaps he was getting better at the whole switching business, but the transition that time had seemed almost pleasant. Harry shook his head to clear it. He had to get back to Privet Drive.

Moving quickly, Harry gathered himself and apparated back to Privet Drive, a block or so from the Dursleys. There were several Order members already on the lawn, and they didn't look too pleased. Harry hurried over to the lawn and paused, catching his breath.

Tonks whirled, her wand out in alert, but then her shoulders dropped when she recognized Harry. "Bloody hell, Harry, where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you."

Harry smiled weakly and shrugged. "Sorry, Tonks. It's been a right nutters day, to be honest. Let me just grab my things and we can head over to Headquarters or wherever."

"We already packed up most of your things, Harry," Tonks explained. "In fact, I think all that's left is your bedding."

Mad-Eye Moody strode over, looked quite incensed. "You've been unbelievably foolish, Potter. You're very lucky you haven't been killed."

"You have no idea," Harry mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Moody demanded. "Stop your whispering! We evacuated the Dursleys hours ago, along with the rest of your precious knickknacks and books. You're incredibly late and you've endangered the lot of us! We still haven't heard from Bill or Fleur, so who knows what danger they might be in?"

Harry looked sheepishly back at Moody. "Sorry, Moody. Um, do you want me to apparate to HQ or someplace? Or do we have a portkey?"

Moody sniffed but looked slightly mollified. "At least you're thinking on your feet, Potter. I didn't realize you could apparate, but that won't be necessary. We were going to fly there, but since you've given us so much extra time, we actually were able to create a slipshod Portkey to the Tonks residence. Your things and your owl should already be there."

"The Tonks', eh?" Harry mused. "And Hedwig's there already? Great, let's get going then."

Moody snorted. "You're just lucky the Death Eaters didn't stick around here. Here, you and Nymphadora grab this kettle." Moody handed a rusty kettle to Tonks, who gestured to Harry. Harry quickly walked over and grabbed the kettle.

"All right, then," Moody said, grabbing a hold of the kettle. "Activate!"

Harry felt the familiar disorienting sensation of traveling through a Portkey, although compared to the bracelet's shifting through sub-dimensions, Harry found he could easily ignore any discomfort.

They arrived in the foyer of a small, pleasant house that seemed to convey a sense of warmth and odd familiarity to Harry. He grinned and looked over at Tonks.

"Nice digs, Tonks."

"Yeah, well, shove it, Potter. We've been quite inconvenienced by you tonight, so let me just show to your room for tonight only! Tomorrow we're moving you back to the Weasleys. The plan was originally for you to go there after we all got here, but we're all too knackered to care." Tonks grabbed Harry's arm a bit rudely and pulled him along as she maneuvered through the house.

Harry grinned despite himself. Some things never did change. "Tonks, listen, hold up a second."

Tonks stopped and looked at him tiredly.

"I really do apologize for the scheduling confusion. Entirely my fault, really." Harry smiled winsomely. "So ease up, will you?"

Tonks snorted and shook her head. "You're getting off easy this time, Harry. Come on, your room is right up here."

Tonks paused and gestured to a door. "All right, here's your bloody room, now get some rest. I'm going to go pass out." Tonks looked tiredly at Harry, but she winked. "Don't worry, things will be all right. Hey, don't forget to remind to tell you about my marriage tomorrow."

Harry goggled at this sudden non-sequitur. "What? Marriage? You mean to Remus?"

Tonks waved a finger in Harry's face and grinned slightly. "Tomorrow, Harry. Now, please, bugger off and go to sleep."

Harry laughed as Tonks walked away.

As soon as Tonks was out of sight, Harry quickly ducked into the room and scanned it quickly. He sighed in relief when he saw Hedwig in her cage.

Harry walked quickly over to the cage and reached under the paper, worrying a bit while trying not to disturb the sleeping Hedwig. But he breathed a sigh of relief when he pulled out Gridelwald's diary.

Harry grinned, feeling oddly wide awake and not at all ready for slumber. "You know, maybe I should get a little reading done before bed." Harry plopped down on the bed and opened the diary.

* * *

_**"He who desires, but acts not, breeds pestilence." – William Blake**_

"Hey, what about this?" Ron asked suddenly. "We Stun Ginny and force-feed her Veritaserum so she has to tell what's going on! It's foolproof."

"Ron…" Bill groaned. "I'm not a bloody Potions Master – Veritaserum is basically the most tightly controlled substance the Ministry deals with. And I don't think we should go asking Snape to borrow some of his stash. Somehow I don't think he'd take it very well."

Ron snorted in amusement but quickly calmed down. "True enough, Bill. Okay, so Veritaserum's out. Maybe if we Stun her then check out her room, then? Remember, I found that mysterious box with the rune mark on it. We still don't know what's even in it, if anything."

Bill's eyes shone with a renewed interest. "A crazy idea, Ron. But it's one that we might just be able to pull off, if we can use the element of surprise. You know, that runic mark you saw was bad news, Ron. You're lucky you didn't try to open the box."

"What?" Ron blanched. "What was it, some sort of trap?"

"That's right," Bill nodded. "A protection rune, which was probably properly charged up with some fairly insidious magic, would have done something pretty nasty to you. I recognized it as a variation on an old Gothic-Futhorc realignment, _the Nied-Opandi Nam-Qetri_ inversion over a modified _Hagl-Lagus _standard cipher switch. Probably would've Obliviated you on the spot and slammed you with a Dark compulsion curse."

Bill rubbed his hands together eagerly. "But I've dealt with far worse in the tombs. That variation is almost old-school by now; experts have figured out the deconstructions and transformations of those variation classes decades ago. Still, a challenge is a challenge."

Ron grinned despite his bewilderment at Bill's sudden enthusiasm. "Well, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were right excited to confront Ginny just so you could break open her protection spell."

Bill laughed slightly. "Well, it's been a while since… wait. Ron, do you hear that?"

Ron perked up his ears and frowned. "No I don't – oh wait. You know, I hear a kind of high whistling. Is that what you mean?"

"Yeah, but what would…" Bill trailed off, his eyes widening in shock as a shimmer of energy rippled through the room, causing wavy distortions in the air. "The wards! Oh, bloody hell."

With a sound like an enormous parchment ripping in half, the door to the attic exploded inward, throwing Ron and Bill off their feet with the sheer force of the explosion.

Ginny walked through the broken doorframe, holding her wand aloft, her eyes burning and a manic grin on her face.

"Well, well, if it isn't my two favorite brothers."

* * *

Next time…

_The insidious boils erupt over their bodies, but who among them will be alive in the cleansing fire?_

Aseret HaMakot

BLOOD FROGS LICE BEASTS PESTILENCE BOILS HAIL LOCUSTS DARKNESS DEATH OF THE FIRST BORN


	6. BOILS

Disclaimer: All non-original Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling and her affiliated companies. I'm just taking them out for some overdue cleaning.

_Um... say. It's been quite a while, hasn't it? I just want to finish this, considering how much effort I put into actually plotting the damn thing out. So let's see how it goes, shall we? Additionally, I made some changes to the names of the various factions to be less stupid; those changes are in chapters 3, 4 and 5, and are as follows:_  
_The "Balancers" are now "__Gravitatem Veritatis Animadvertimus"__ - The Sustainers of the Scales_

_The "Mergers" are now "Vita Tribuo"_  
_The "Utopians" are now "Wu-Tuo-Bang" - Order of the Twin Ideals_  
_The "Finishers" are now "Zhōngjié zhě" - The Circle of Attainment_

* * *

Harry sighed as he slipped through Grindelwald's diary, passing many pages of complicated runic diagrams and arithmantic equations. Harry felt that given enough time, he could potentially puzzle through a couple of the complex bits, but didn't quite feel in the mood. Finally, he reached something a bit more like a narrative, entries written in words instead of pictures.

_Entry #456_

_What began as a simple matter has mutated into something far more serpentine and mysterious. I truly wonder now what we have uncovered. Mulciber and his allies have attempted to convince me that my discovery is their discovery, and that the cause is worth fighting for more than petty infighting. Could they possible fathom what I have seen, what I have mastered? Their mundane and foolish quest for purity and power is shortsighted and horrendously stupid. I am not in such a good position anymore. Perhaps it would be best to mitspielen for now._

_Naturally, I will continue my own research, but hiding my further discoveries and epiphanies while presenting them with reasonable facsimiles will surely prove to be trying. Nevertheless, I will endeavor to prevail._

_Entry #457_

_Ah ha! So now their little plan has been uncovered, although they do not suspect I know anything at all. I pretend that my real goal is the Unsterblichkeit mixtuer – feh, as if immortality concerns me? I know well that such things come with grave sacrifices. But they smile at me, thinking they are smarter than I, the one who discovered how to rip apart the causal threads and manipulate the very internen geist of reality? They think I don't see what they're doing? Mulciber was only the beginning, the rest of these peons think they are master manipulators and thinkers? They have no idea who they face._

_Entry #458_

_I am gravely worried. Verdammt schweine._

_Entry #459_

_The depth of their insanity troubles me to no end. Now I wonder if perhaps I have underestimated the fools. I have discovered that not only does this nonsensical "faction" consider itself rightful ownerr of the piccolo fuoco spell and its connected magical notions, but desires greater influence over the chaotic energies that power the extricated spiral. What, do they fancy themselves sole arbiter of the understanding of existence? Of reality itself? I am glad beyond measure I have protected my notes and artifacts with protectiosn beyond even their understanding._

_Even meine Zeitschrift is at risk – but I know many insidious ways to protect my property. Let them try to break through my protections! Their minds and bodies will be ripped asunder and fed to the demons of the neunten Kreis der Hölle! I have underestimated them once, but never again. I must consider my future now. The war draws to an end soon, I can see it even if these dummkopfs cannot. Things will not be easy to alter. Paths begun will be problematic to diverge from. Is there no end to this circle of destruction?_

_Thankfully I have, at least, dismantled the temporal arch. They will no longer have any easy access to the Deeper thoughts of Radavra of anything further than the primary subjuncts. They will need to struggle to make any progress, that much I have ensured._

_Entry #460_

_I am undone. They have poisoned me, cursed me with a magic I know all too well. But I cannot believe they have manipulated the deep ethers so effectively. I think it was almost accidental thaet they were successful. Deep within the layers of reality my knowledge of the wonders of Deep magic and Schwarzenmagie were punctured and grabbed by that curse. Here in the full totality spectrum, I would be immune. They stumbled onto the means to destroy me, to destroy my mind and my magic. I cannot abandon my knowledge, it would be the end of me._

_Unless… my old friend Albus has similar problems with his own pack of fools as I have. Perhaps it is time we pooled our resources once again and turn the magical world on its head. Together, we will rip these inferior sludge primates from their bodies and scatter the ashes of their minds into the oceans. It will be glorious. I have a feeling he will be glad to help. Perhaps we parted on bad terms, but we can overcome such petty inequities in the face of shared danger._

Harry paused his reading, feeling shocked. Grindelwald and Dumbledore were friends? Perhaps Dumbledore was involved early on with this mess as well. It would explain a great deal, including how Dumbledore seemed to know so much and yet be so worried about the dangers Harry would face. Harry guessed that if Grindelwald thought so highly of Dumbledore but still compared himself favorably, they must have both been brilliant wizards even back then. But what in Merlin's name could have occurred to set them against each other then?

After all, didn't Slughorn even mention that Dumbledore had defeated Grindelwald in battle? So how did they go from estranged friends to enemies again? Harry couldn't contain his curiosity and continued reading.

_Entry #461_

_Ha, it is all too simple. Albus had a brilliant notion, one that pains me to admit I would never have considered. Hide from them right under their noses! Merely a matter of finding the right vessel to make the switch, and then the real game begins. Well, perhaps we were not master craftsmen of men's minds as youngsters, but that will change. We will each abandon our precious memories, but not permanently. They will think me defeated, and without their figurehead, their damn war will collapse._

_My heart, it is almost too easy. Well, for wizards of our calibers, a nothing. For these fools, even with their sub-mastery of piccolo fuoco and minor talents at deconstructing werkelijkheids breking, will have no idea what we have in store for them. Their war will be stopped in its tracks, and we will linger, acting the Obliviated fools who have no idea about it, for that is how we will appear. It is a delicious irony to use their tricks and preconceptions against them._

_Entry #462_

_My last entry, I believe. Our plan is damn close to completion. Albus has readied the vessel and I have chosen the battlegrounds. It will be one glorious last triumph for his manufactured side, but all will still believe it to be at an end. I shall lace this Zeitschrift with a few tricks to prevent even myself from reading it. One can never be too careful, after all. Although I never was able to take all the purloined knowledge of piccolo fuoco from the Macht Von, it does not matter. I have gained enough to learn the spells of Erasum Erado – any one fool enough to grab these pages without the password shall be erased from existence._

_But the rest though… perhaps it would be best if I kept this safe. I can trust no one but myself and Albus. Perhaps he will have an idea of how to keep our secrets secure. The battle is nigh._

There were no more written entries after this one; the rest of the journal was completely blank.

Harry closed the diary, his mind awhirl with possibilities both fantastic and horrifying. He would need some time to process all the bizarre information from the journal. And yet, he still felt completely awake. Harry felt a bit frustrated; after all, he could easily see a lack of sleep being a real problem the next day.

A sudden light shining distracted Harry, and he glanced at his shifting bracelet. One of the gems far to the right, near the end, glinted with a faint reddish glow. Wait… red…

Suddenly Harry remembered. Red meant a Horcrux fragment in a sub-dimension, at least according to the Balancer folk. Well, who knew when Harry would have another chance to grab one of the bloody things?

"Well," Harry mused. "At least I can't sleep either." He moved his will towards the red gem and felt himself shift. Instantly everything was cold and dark, and Harry began to shiver uncontrollably.

* * *

**CHAPTER 6: BOILS**

**_The Ministry of Magic, hellishly far to the East of the Primary Reality_**

"What the bloody hell?" Harry rubbed his hands together frantically, trying to overcome the sudden rush of insidious cold. The sensation was beginning to affect him a bit; but he shook his head to clear the cobwebs. He pulled out his wand and cast the warming charm he recalled learning from Hermione ages ago.

The charm seemed to help a bit, as Harry could now at least move without being practically sent to his knees by the crippling feeling of darkness and frost. In fact, the feeling seemed awfully familiar… Harry was certain he recognized the sensation. It reminded him of his third year for some reason. Wait…

Oh no…

A sudden whooshing sound forced Harry to duck to the side to see what was happening. A pair of Dementors flew past him in a rush, seemingly ignoring him. Nevertheless, a wave of coldness passed by in their wake, catching Harry with a momentary chill that caused him to shiver briefly involuntarily. But something seemed odd… Well, odder than anything else. Harry didn't feel the horrific pull on his mind that was typical of Dementors, that terror that was impossible to completely ignore.  
It was almost as if… they couldn't sense him. Was it even possible?

"_Lumos_."

The quickly cast charm didn't provide much illumination, but it was enough to see the immediate surroundings. Suddenly Harry realized where he had appeared; he was standing in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic. Now that he noticed it, it was hard to see anything other than the human-aggrandizing sculpture at the center of the room. Although there was something different about it, but Harry couldn't quite make it out in the almost pitch black room.

Harry moved closer to the statue, but when he could make out the details, he stepped back in alarm. The sculpture was identical to the one in the normal Ministry of Magic, but here, the human's head was replaced by a screaming Dementor. Even with a cowled face, Harry was severely disturbed by the image. He glanced at the other images, and blinked in surprise. The non-human figures were similar, but they had each been replaced by animals of similar sizes.

Harry turned around, wondering what it all meant. What kind of bizarre sub-dimension was this? Dementors that exuded coldness and darkness, but didn't carry the same sense of fear? Animals instead of centaurs and house elves? There was something about the animals that seemed familiar to Harry, but he couldn't quite figure it out.

A group of Dementors entered the atrium, several following behind a single, slightly fatter one. The sight of the larger Dementor only served to further agitate Harry; who ever heard of a fat Dementor?

But then he noticed what the marginally corpulent monster was wearing around his hideous neck: the locket of Slytherin. Harry gaped, and then looked down at his bracelet, which still glowed a brilliant red color. He smirked. Perhaps things were finally looking up.

After all, Harry knew just how to deal with Dementors. He pointed his wand at the locket-wearing monstrosity and thought of the happiest feeling he could manage. Strangely enough, it helped to think of Quidditch.

"_Expecto Patronum_!" A silver stag leapt from Harry's wand and bounded straight for the group of Dementors. The lead Dementor stumbled and fell to the ground, but the other beasts swarmed and attacked the Patronus. The stag bucked and kicked at the Dementors, but every time they touched the Patronus, it grew a bit dimmer.

Harry stopped and stood still for a moment, shocked at this reaction, but then he saw the locket, still hanging of the fat one's neck, which was beginning to get to its feet. Growling, he raced forward and ducked past the stag and Dementors slashing at each other. He held out his wand and tried to silently Summon the locket. The locket twitched slightly, but did not move far.  
Harry frowned and concentrated deeply. "_Accio_!" The locket snapped off its necklace and jumped into Harry's waiting hand. Harry grinned. "Finally!"

He raced down the corridor and suddenly, overcome by a sudden impulse, turned and whistled. The battered stag Patronus leapt from the fray of Dementors and bound after Harry. It quickly matched Harry's pace and nudged him slightly on the shoulder. Instantly a wave of warmth, like liquid pleasure raced through Harry's body, spreading a feeling of cheer and happiness. It was like a day's worth of joy in a single moment.

The stag nudged Harry's shoulder and nodded. Harry still kept running, as the sounds of the Dementors continued to grow louder and louder behind them. He glanced over at his corporeal Patronus.

"What? What is it?"

The stag, which seemed to effortlessly match Harry's speed, nudged him again, then gestured behind them. Harry took a moment to glance back. The Dementors were chasing after them, arms outstretched, slowly gaining. Their rasping voices began to devolve into shrieks and groans.

Harry shivered.

"Yeah, yeah, I see them. I'm not blind, after all."

The stag nudged Harry a bit more forcefully, and then gestured again. Suddenly Harry thought he got it.

"You want me to ride you, is that it?"

The stag nodded its head and gestured again.

Well, it wasn't too different from jumping on a broom in midair after all; well, it was quite a bit easier than that actually. Harry worried that the Patronus might be too insubstantial to carry him, but then he recalled feeling the nudging quite clearly. Perhaps the rules were a bit different there in more ways than one.

Harry leapt onto the stag's back with a smooth motion. Before Harry could finish exhaling, the stag accelerated, now completely losing the Dementors far behind them. The stag continued to run through the Ministry, twisting and turning down various corridors. They moved so quickly, Harry could barely keep track of where they were going.

And then they were in a long hallway, decorated with beautiful stained glasses windows on sides. With a large, intricate window at the end that stretched to the ceiling. The stag began to accelerate once again, straight towards the great glass window.

But before Harry had even a chance to yell out in horror, they had smashed through the window, sending glass fragments splintering in all directions. Harry blinked and checked himself for any hidden cuts or shards poking out. And then he noticed the glow; he and the stag were glowing a low, but visible light.

"Huh," Harry remarked. "Did you somehow protect me from the glass?"

The stag nodded its head once and then abruptly turned to the right, heading north. Harry had another question on his lips, but the stag did not allow this, instead beginning to travel with incredible speed, faster than anything Harry had ever experienced. Faster than a Firebolt, faster than the Knight Bus - in a way, even faster than a Portkey might be. Although that was more a sense of it than anything else.

The world around them flashed in images far too quick and transient for Harry to make anything out. Without warning, the stag slowed, and gradually the world around them coalesced into a very familiar sight. Harry recognized the eldritch woods of the Forbidden Forest with ease.

Now the stag walked through nothing at all, a wall of air that shimmered and bent the substance of the reality around it. And they walked out into the Room of Requirements.

Harry felt a bit out of sorts with the rapid changing of his surroundings, but the familiar setting comforted him slightly. He slid off his Patronus and smiled at the rush of memories. Bright lights shimmered around him, and several Patronuses appeared, a few wolves, an otter, and several others. They all seemed a bit familiar, and Harry wondered if they were connected to the ones his friends could summon.

It seemed odd at this point to think of the Patronuses as magical things that could be created - these beings existed almost by themselves in this odd sub-dimension of Dementors and Patronuses.

The stag bowed its head and the other animals bowed in response, causing Harry to smile at the sight. It was a marvelous thing, seeing the Patronus animals act so distinctly human.

And then, without warning, the stag leapt _into_ Harry, causing him to step back involuntarily. But it was a wondrous sensation, a natural high that he had only come close to experiencing flying high in the air.

"_Harry," _one of the wolves said to him in voice that echoed not out loud, but inside his body - like a reverberating sound that he could feel all over.. _"Can you now understand us?"_

"_Can you, lovely one?" _the swan asked.

Harry blinked in surprise. "I can, actually," he replied. "Why couldn't I understand the stag before?"

"_The stag was you and is you, you cannot talk in a voice to nothing at all," _ the same wolf responded somewhat cryptically. "_But now that you are yourself once more, not separated by the Protector's Call, you can speak. You are one again, like we are. Why were you split here, in the world of the Protectors and the Maddeners?"_

"I think you mean the Dementors, right?" Harry asked.

The wolf nodded.

"I'm here to collect something, a piece of a Horcrux," Harry held up the locket he had retrieved from the fat Dementor. "Do you know what that is?'

"_I do," _the wolf answered sadly. _ "Although not all of us have such dark knowledge. The Ravaging Horcux is a dangerous thing, I know that much. I had no idea there was one still in existence."_

Harry frowned, getting an odd feeling of familiarity. "Do I know you?"

The wolf chuckled in a wolfish manner, wagging its tongue. "_Very funny, Harry. As if you don't know me. I'm Bill, Ron's brother, remember?"_

Harry slumped back against the wall in shock. "Um, I don't suppose Ron is here too?"

A small Jack Russell terrier leaped over and wagged its tail happily. Harry dimly recalled that this was Ron's Patronus. "_Yes, I'm right here, Harry! Want to go for a run in the Forest? Grab a bite to eat?"_

At this, Harry couldn't help but laugh. "Well, you're Ron, all right." Harry then sighed heavily. "I don't suppose you have any idea where the other Horcruxes are? Or maybe anything about this hidden war of reality?"

The animals all shook their heads.

One of the other wolves snarled. "_The only war I know about is the never-ending one between us and the Maddening Horde."_

At this, all the other Patronuses growled or chirped angrily.

"Hmm," Harry considered. "Then I suppose I had better get back home. Although I feel so good, merged with my Patronus self... I hate to give that up."

The Bill wolf laughed again. "_Sometimes you seem awfully ignorant, Harry, although I suppose that is because you broke in half. You are one now, Harry. The Protector's Call should no longer be necessary, because you are finally whole."_

"I'm whole?" Harry wondered. "So does that mean... is the call the same thing as the charm itself? You know, _Expecto Patronum_?"

"_That is the Word of the Call,_" an otter said with a sage nod. "_You are the only one I've ever seen whole. It is a beautiful thing, Harry. I am so very jealous_."

Harry smirked. "Thanks, otter. Good seeing you, although perhaps from your perspective I won't be going anywhere at all." He focused on the yellow gems and Moved.

And he was back at the Tonks home, lying in bed.

Suddenly Harry felt unbelievably tired, but he still had the presence of mind to tuck the locket under the bed to keep it out of sight. Harry yawned mightily and smiled. It hadn't been that bad of a day, after all. And something about those Patronuses... he still felt wondrously complete. But what that would truly mean, he wasn't sure. And soon, Harry was asleep, a faint smile still on his face.

* * *

_**And it will become dust upon the entire land of Egypt, and it will become boils, breaking out into blisters upon man and upon beast throughout the entire land of Egypt.**_

Bill grabbed for his wand, but Ginny merely waved her own, instantly disarming him.

"Now, now," she chided. "None of that." Another swipe of her wand, and Bill was tossed against the wall, stuck completely. Ginny turned to Ron. "_Petrificus Totalus._"Ron instantly became as stiff as a board.

Ginny began to laugh in a mad, befuddling manner. "And here I was actually worried for a brief moment," she wiped a tear from an eye. "But this was like nothing at all. Perhaps it's time we finally start for real."

"What's wrong with you?" Bill managed to ask, although it took a great deal of will. He hadn't been Stunned, just stuck against the wall, although he was terrified in a way he had never thought possible.

"You wouldn't understand," Ginny snarled. Then she paused and nodded thoughtfully. "Well, of all of you idiots I call family, perhaps _you _might actually grasp some minor piece of esoterica of what I need to accomplish." She grinned widely at her older brother. "I need to bring my love into this reality."

She looked around the room and whispered conspiratorially, "He's stuck in between nothing and here. Sort of like how you're stuck against the attic wall!" Ginny giggled shrilly.

"Who is this 'love' you're talking about?" Bill asked as calmly as he could manage. "Someone I know?"

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "Oh, you know him. Know of him, I should say. Ron almost had a chance to meet him, but only one person ever met him other than myself. My old boyfriend, Harry Potter." The red-haired girl chuckled ruefully. "Poor stupid Harry. Way in over his head. I will almost feel bad killing him. Although perhaps I'll concede the honor to dear Thomas."

Bill swallowed. "Thomas? I haven't heard of anyone by that name."

"Oh, I know," Ginny smiled. "But that's because you know him by a different name altogether. Well, that's not entirely true. You know of the wrong one, the impostor. The one who died and should never have come back." She scowled. "We despise him most of all."

Ginny turned to Ron and looked between him and Bill's circle. "You know, this is quite a well-designed circle. I believe I shall be able to utilize it myself." She pulled at her wand, and Ron floated up and over into the circle. Ginny kicked at him until he was completely within the bounds of the magical circle.

"Perfect. And now for a few adjustments." Ginny bent down and used her wand to change several of the markings and cleaning up the scuffs in the chalk.

"I can't quite see what you're doing," Bill remarked casually. "What do you need Ron for?"

Ginny giggled. "Very droll, Bill. As if you didn't know. Just your typical Overloaded Spectral Switch, although there are a few odd things you probably wouldn't have heard of."

Bill frowned, trying to puzzle it out. "So you're trying to switch someone with Ron, then? But who?"

"Oh, he's not here," Ginny answered, as it was very obvious. "To be honest, I have no idea where he is specifically. But after Thomas found me in the reality that doesn't exist, we realized that a strong enough anchoring would pull him from anywhere." She sighed deeply. "He has taught me so much."

"An anchoring," Bill repeated, then his eyes widened in horror. "Wait, you're using a blood anchoring?"

Ginny laughed. "Obviously. Ron is the closest family member to me in age and substance, being half of each of our stupid parents. He'd be ideal, even if he hadn't stumbled onto my plans. I suppose I can wait to kill you for later; I'm not so good at the Imperius, but Thomas should easily find use for you in the coming war."

"But that will kill him!" Bill shouted.

"Keep your voice down," Ginny snarled. "Or I'll spell your mouth shut. And besides, it won't kill him exactly - just switch his position with Thomas, wherever that is. But it can't be that bad, otherwise Thomas would be all dead, wouldn't he?"

"This is madness," Bill mumbled. "Ginny, please, listen to reason. I don't know who this Thomas is, but he's tricking you!"

"Shut up!" Ginny screamed. "And don't you dare say his bloody name!" She waved her wand and Bill's mouth suddenly snapped shut. "Now," she said more calmly. "Don't bother me while I finish this up."

Bill could only watch, completely helpless, as his sister arranged a series of burning incense, something quite vile, and setting up spell after spell. Some he recognized, some he thought he might be able to figure out. But none of it was good.

"_Circulus Instruere," _Ginny incanted.

And Ron began to scream, even through his frozen state, as a wave of darkness began to emanate from the circle.

"And now, the most important part," she grinned, and pulled out a shredded diary. "_Colligere", _Ginny intoned and tossed it into the circle.

Ron's screams began to subside and his body began to shake horribly.

Bill desperately wanted to turn away, but his head was frozen in place.

Ginny laughed in triumph. "Yes, finally! He comes!"

And then a whispered voice came from the shadows, "_Erasum Erado"._

Suddenly, Ron disappeared, as if he had never been there at all.

"What happened?" Ginny shrieked. "Where is the damn idiot? Where's Ron? Where's Thomas?"

"Gone," a very familiar voice said, and Fleur stepped out the shadows, holding aloft her own wand.

Ginny stepped back in utter shock. "Phlegm? You stupid bint, what in Merlin's name have you done?"

"You 'ave gone too far," Fleur told Ginny with a smirk. "You 'ave made a foolish error, leetle girl. Reaching across ze realities like zat? Eet would not 'ave worked, obviously. And now you look like ze fool, no?"

"I hate you!" Ginny screamed. "And I don't even know what you're babbling about! Nobody can ever understand you, anyway." Ginny stopped screaming and gasped in horror. "I can't feel him anymore. Thomas... he's gone!"

"Not exactly, my dear one," Fleur clucked her tongue. "But 'e shall be gone quite soon, no? But first, perhaps you should prepare ze way?"

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Ginny spat hatefully.

Fleur jumped to the side and riposted with a spell of her own, "_Solo Frangere!" _She managed to say the long phrase in a melodious and quick fashion, leaving Bill quite impressed she could do such a thing.

"What does that...?" Ginny started to ask, and then she yawned. "What did you do?" To Bill's astonishment, tiny dark cracks of shadow began to spread over Ginny's body, slowly at first, then faster and faster until only darkness could be seen. And then, once she had changed entirely, the shadow collapsed into nothingness.

"Tsk tsk, Bill," Fleur chided her fiance. "Look at ze mess you 'ave gotten into. Let me 'elp you zere." She waved her wand and Bill was released from the wall.

"I... I don't understand," Bill said slowly, leaning against the wall in exhaustion. "What did you do to her? To Ron?"

Fleur frowned and looked sad. "I 'ad no choice with Ron, you understand, mon chéri? I 'ad to erase 'im before Ginny's spell ripped a hole in reality. She did not understand what she was doing." Then her face hardened. "But I will not apologize for what I did to 'er. She 'ad become a monster, and I 'ad to destroy 'er. She was not your sister, not anymore."

"I was beginning to think that too," Bill admitted in a choked voice. "But I didn't want Ron to be killed!"

"Well," Fleur said softly, kneeling next to him. "If it ees any consolation, 'e ees not precisely dead. Just gone from ze main reality. I am sure 'e still lives on somewhere else."

"I don't understand," Bill repeated. "What is all this talk about realities and living somewhere else?"

Fleur smiled and stood with a graceful fashion. "I do not have a problem explaining to you, Bill - not now zat you are in ze middle of it. But perhaps we could do with some company, no?" She turned to the circle. "_Accio_ diary." The diary jumped out of the circle, but Fleur moved out of the way before it could touch her.

"Be careful wiss zat," she advised. "Do not touch it." Then Fleur smiled. "And now zat it ees no longer hidden, we wait."

"Wait for what?" Bill asked.

Fleur shrugged. "Hopefully not too long. It ees quite early in ze morning, after all."

She turned to Bill. "Before our friend appears, let me quickly explain what I can tell you. Reality as you know it ees a sort of illusion - it ees made up of various smaller sub-reality pieces zat represent aspects of ze whole. But normally we only see ze whole, of course."

"Um," Bill said slowly. "Okay."

"But zere are secret spells to change sings in zose sub-realities," she told him. "Dangerous ones. Ones to erase someone from existence - like what I did to Ginny. And zere is a zecret war to control how ze reality is put togezzer. Ginny was a wildcard, zough... she was only interested in bringing back Tom Riddle from a sub-reality, which ees not possible. It would 'ave ripped a hole in reality if she 'ad completed 'er ritual."

Fleur suddenly stopped talking and looked at the middle of the room.

Then the air shimmered before them, and quickly coalesced into the form of someone they both knew fairly well.

Harry blinked and looked around at the damaged attic. "Wait, what's going on here?" He looked very tired, which made sense, considering he had just been woken from a much-needed slumber.

Harry looked down at his wrist and blinked in surprise. "Hey, we're still in the main reality."

"Zat is correct, 'Arry," Fleur beamed. "I am glad to see our information was accurate."

"Um, okay then," Harry replied slowly. "Uh, so you know about the whole reality mess?"

Fleur nodded. "Oui, and zat ze Sustainers gave you zat bracelet. Although of course you realize who 'fixed' ze artifact for zem by now, no?"

"No," Harry said in confusion. "Someone fixed it?"

"Of course," Fleur laughed. "Ze Anubis Charm 'as been in zeir possession for ages, but zey could never figure out 'ow to use it. It was Dumbledore zat 'fixed' it - by which I mean 'e made sure only you could use it."

Dumbledore again. Harry was not at all surprised by this particular revelation. And not really hurt he hadn't been told, as he could easily grasp the Headmaster's motivations. Pretend to help out the Sustainers, while in reality give Harry precisely what he needed. Typical Dumbledore.

"So I suppose you aren't one of the Sustainers, then?" Harry asked, knowing the answer.

"Very true, 'Arry," Fleur smirked devilishly. "I am glad to see you are sinking clearly. If you can figure out which group I am with, I will be impressed, but I do not wish to convert your allegiances, so I will stay silent on zis matter."

Harry snorted. "Thanks for the consideration." He looked over at Bill. "Is Bill part of it too?"

"No!" Bill finally managed to say. "I don't know what's going on!"

"Finally!" Harry grinned. "Someone who knows less than I do. What about the rest of your family? Ron? Ginny? The Twins?"

Fleur looked saddened. "Zey are not involved, which ees a good sing, I believe. But I am afraid zat Ginny was working with the Horcrux sub-reality fragment of Tom Riddle, and I was forced to kill 'er."

"You killed Ginny?" Harry repeated in shock. "She was working with Tom? But the diary was destroyed!"

"Ze main piece was," Fleur agreed. "But not the broken piece. I sought you already knew about zat."

Harry nodded, realizing that he did. "Yeah, now that I think about it, that makes sense. I destroyed the diary, but in the main reality. Obviously there would be a fragment in a sub-reality."

"Ah, but zat is no longer a concern," Fleur beamed widely. "Look! Due to Ginny's foolish actions, she managed to summon the fragment here! Zat is why your bracelet brought you 'ere." She pointed at the shredded diary on the floor.

"Huh, what do you know," Harry said, and summoned the diary to himself without a thought.

"Wait!" Bill called out belatedly. "It's dangerous to touch them."

Fleur grinned. "'Arry is in a very special position not to be quite as 'armed by zem, no? He 'as ze special powers, true?"

Harry laughed. "I suppose that's true." He then yawned mightily. "Well, let me be honest with you guys. I'd love to keep talking, but I am bloody knackered. I forgot to take the bracelet off before falling asleep, otherwise I don't know if the bright light would've woken me. Do you need me for anything else, or can we talk tomorrow?"

"Zat would be fine, 'Arry," Fleur nodded. Then she stroked her chin thoughtfully. "But perhaps I know of a sub-reality where you could get even more rest zan normal. You would like to 'ear it?"

"Of course," Harry replied with a grin. "Sounds wonderful."

Fleur's eyes twinkled and she smiled slightly. "I want you to try four to ze left, one to ze right, zen three to ze left. And 'ave a good night."

"Four left, one right, three left," Harry repeated. "Night then guys, see you tomorrow." He focused on the appropriate gem and vanished.

"You didn't tell him about Ron," Bill reminded his fiance.

Fleur sighed. "I know," she told him sadly. "But I zought zat perhaps he only needed to 'ear about one Weasley dead tonight. I feel terrible about Ron."

Bill sighed as well and took Fleur into his arms. "Well, so do I. Do you really think he might be able to be restored? I mean, maybe Harry can do it?"

"If anyone can," Fleur mused. "It would be 'Arry Potter."

* * *

**_"We all boil at different degrees" - Ralph Waldo Emerson_**

**_An apartment off Diagon Alley, a little ways West of the Primary Reality_**

Harry found himself in an unfamiliar lavatory, looking at himself in the mirror. He looked quite tired. Harry shrugged and tucked the diary away in a pocket, then walked out of the lavatory into a small bedroom he didn't recognize.

Ah, a bed? Well, Fleur had mentioned that this would be a good place to get some rest.

And then Harry realized that there was someone in the bed. Someone with very familiar blonde hair.

Harry watched with shock as Fleur Delacour looked up sleepily at him.

"'Arry, mon chéri, come back to bed," she grinned wickedly. "You 'ave woken me, so you must pay ze fee."

"Um, but what about Bill?" Harry stammered, although he felt incredibly tempted to accept her offer.

"Ronald's brozzer?" Fleur asked in confusion. "What about 'im?"

"You're engaged!" Harry managed to blurt out.

Fleur giggled. "You are very silly, 'Arry. I 'aven't switched the engagement to a random Weasley. I still 'ave your mozzer's ring, don't I?" She waved a hand that had a lovely diamond ring on it.

"So wait," Harry said, beginning to put it together. "We're engaged, then?"

"Enough of zis fooling around," Fleur said in annoyed tone. "Will you come to bed or not?"

"Hmm," Harry mused. "You know, perhaps I will." And then Harry smiled.

Sleep could wait.

* * *

Next time…  
_The hailstones rip asunder the foundations of reality - unless some can find shelter._

Aseret HaMakot  
BLOOD FROGS LICE BEASTS PESTILENCE BOILS HAIL LOCUSTS DARKNESS DEATH OF THE FIRST BORN


	7. HAIL

_Disclaimer: All non-original Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling and her affiliated companies. I'm just taking them out for some overdue cleaning._

_It's been long enough that perhaps a bit of summary is in order:_

_Previously, Harry discovers the secret of Grindelwald's disappearance - he is hiding somewhere without any of his memories - that is, if he still lives. Harry then travels to an odd reality of Dementors and Patronuses, retrieving the locket Horcrux before he leaves. Meanwhile, Ginny has discovered her brothers' plans and disarms them, deciding it is time to use a ritual to finally bring back her beloved Tom. She has somehow retrieved the tattered remains of the diary, and plans to sacrifice Ron to summon Tom back into existence._

_But before this can happen, Fleur appears, vanishing Ron into nothingness and killing Ginny. She uses the diary to summon Harry and explains that she is involved in the reality faction nonsense in some unknown manner. Harry really needs some sleep at this point, so Fleur sends him to a place he might find quite... restful._

* * *

Harry yawned mightily and stretched out his arms, feeling utterly fantastic. The previous night had been a true delight... wait...

He glanced over to see who shared the bed - but he was alone. Harry slumped back against the bedrest, considering this - was the last night just a memory? Had he and Fleur... no, it wasn't possible. It had to be a dream - or somehow not real. But then Harry realized that he wasn't in the room at the Tonks house, but an entirely unfamiliar bedroom.

Harry quickly jumped out of the bed and put on his clothes, which he had apparently thrown about the room. He checked his pockets in a sudden alarm, but relaxed when he found the remains of Tom Riddle's diary. So the last night had indeed happened... but that meant...

Harry shook his head and realized something was missing - the bracelet!

Or what had Fleur called it? The Anubis Charm. The name sounded vaguely familiar from Harry's time in primary school - it was the name of one of those ancient Egyptian Pharaohs.. or perhaps one of their gods? Harry realized after a moment's thought that it wasn't on his wrist, of course, and he began to search the room in a panic. He finally found the bracelet under the bed, although it had rolled so far, he had to Summon it. As he clipped back on the Charm, he felt himself begin to relax. Harry hadn't realized how much he had missed the shiny artifact.

He carefully gathered the rest of things, although he hadn't had much with him, thankfully enough - mainly just his wand and a malfunctioning watch. Harry crept out of the room to see a nice, albeit somewhat small flat, seemingly completely empty of anyone. He smelled something quite wonderful, and walked to the kitchen to see a magically warmed plate of breakfast. A small note was tied to the fork next to the plate.

Slightly concerned, Harry unwrapped the letter.

_Harry,_

_You did not wake this morning even when I tried my secret tricks, so I left you to sleep. Right now, I must leave for work, but I left your favorite breakfast as you can see. Tomorrow you make for me, oui?_

_I will see you tonight, I will return at eight._

_Beacoup d'amour,_

_-Fleur_

A wave of guilt rushed over Harry and he dropped the note, which fluttered down to the table. He eyed the food and frowned. He _was_ quite famished - perhaps just a quick bite and then he'd leave back to the main reality? Surely food was food in any reality. And while eating, he could pretend he didn't feel bad about cheating with Bill's fiance.

Although, Harry mused as he stuffed some bacon in his mouth, Fleur _had_ sent him here. She must have known, right? But what did that mean exactly? Did she fancy him in the main reality? Or... just a part of her?

Harry grimaced, feeling a bit of a headache coming. It was still too early to think about the intricate nonsense of how reality was broken or not broken, or who's split personality fancied whom. Harry wasn't even entirely sure of how he felt about Ginny, even after the latest revelation that she had been working with the diary. Something about that didn't seem quite right - how had the fragment managed to contact Ginny? Harry recalled quite clearly that he had returned the diary to Lucius Malfoy in a hilarious fashion, freeing Dobby at the time.

Although Harry had been sure his feelings for Ginny were entirely gone after his visit with the Sustainers, he was no longer quite sure. After all, how much could he _really_ trust what they had done? Had he even been cursed in the first place?

Harry sighed and washed down his breakfast with a glass of water. It would be nice if he could get help from someone he actually trusted. A sudden thought occurred to Harry: could it be that these various secret cults were using very attractive girls to influence him? First Cho and now Fleur? Curse his bloody hormones! The thought of the last time Ginny was up close to him came unbidden to Harry's mind, and he winced. Well, who said that evil couldn't also be hot at times?

Harry shook his head, looking around for some distraction. He glared at his bracelet, willing them to change color. "C'mon, show me that red," he growled at the Charm. And then, to his astonishment, three stones instantly began to glow in the familiar sanguine hue, two on the left side and further down. One was almost entirely on the other side of the bracelet. And just a single on the right, about in between the other two.

Harry tapped his chin and looked at the two thoughtfully, then checked his watch before realizing a moment too late that it was still broken. A quick spell revealed the time to be already half past eleven in the morning. Harry blanched - he had seriously overslept! Although in fairness, he had probably needed the rest. But he _did_ feel refreshed and satiated, ready for another day of nonsensical adventure. Harry then realized with shock that it had only been about twenty-four hours earlier that he had met with Slughorn - it seemed like a lot more had somehow happened since then.

Still, the old Professor was probably just fine; he was quite capable at hiding from his enemies. The next step was the more important one - which Horcrux fragment to pursue? Harry guessed that the further one traveled, the more bizarre it would get - which sounded similar to what he remembered the Sustainers rambling about.

So one of the red glowing stones wasn't so far - closer than the Dementor one had been. And one of the others was _very _far away - well, an easy choice then. The simpler one first. Harry checked himself and verified everything was in place. Wand, clothes, diary, bracelet. And the other Horcrux bits ought to be safe. He touched the closer red stone and vanished.

* * *

**CHAPTER 7: HAIL**

_Underground, a fair bit West of the primary reality_

Harry instantly began to cough, as a cloud of dust seemed to completely surround him - and then he realized he was falling. He scrambled about in the air, pulling out his wand to arrest his fall, and then he struck the ground with a heavy thud. Harry blinked and slowly got to his feet, patting himself quickly. It didn't seem that he had fallen that far. Harry moved forward, waving his hands to clear the dust. Eventually the dust had settled enough to see his immediate surroundings.

He was in an enormous cavern, with no natural light anywhere noticeable, yet Harry realized he could still see perfectly. If he squinted a bit, Harry could even make up distant gems embedded in the high, arching ceiling. But it seemed so desolate... Harry wondered where everyone was hiding. And for that matter, where was the Horcrux? Wasn't the Charm supposed to take him directly to the correct location?

A distant sound, a sort of chattering suddenly caused Harry to jerk in alarm. It was almost certainly some people talking, although nothing Harry could make out. Harry paced back and forth, trying to think - where could the Horcrux be hiding? Then a horrifying thought occurred to him and he looked up. Embedded in the rocks just a bit beyond his reach were several shining metallic objects, including an assortment and gold and jewels. And a small golden cup emblazoned with a badger.

Harry's pulse began to race as he looked around for a way to scale the rocky walls. The cup was almost certainly the Horcrux he had seen in the Penseive - thankfully it was one of the ones Harry knew about. He already had the diary and the locket, and the ring was already taken care of - which left at least two other Horcruxes, one of which was probably Nagini. Hopefully the Charm would remove some of the tedious guesswork - awfully convenient, as it was turning out.

Perhaps a Hovering Charm might work? Although Harry had never tried Hovering himself - seemed an iffy sort of thing to experiment with. An angry shout interrupted Harry's thoughts, and he whirled to see the distant but rapidly approaching forms of what seemed to be distinctly goblin-like forms. Probably goblins, actually.

"Damn it," Harry cursed softly. "Think, think. How can I get that bloody cup?"

Could it be simple? As easy as getting the locket?

"_Accio_ Hufflepuff's Cup!" The cup didn't even seem to twitch in response. "_ACCIO_!" Harry yelled, but still nothing happened. And the angry shouts were getting closer. Something clattered against the rock violently, causing Harry to jump back with a wince - then he began to feel worried. It was a spear - the goblins were throwing bloody spears at him!

Harry turned and began throwing curses at the small group of attacking goblins, simple ones like the Stunning Spell and Body Bind Curse. They worked magnificently, leaving the furious goblins entirely knocked out or senseless. Harry began to grin until he spotted several dozen more goblins streaming out of tunnels in seemingly every place he looked. He looked back up at the embedded treasures and considered his options. The way the rocks were sticking out of the wall looked to make it impossible to reach the cup, which stuck out from a protruding ledge. It seemed simply inaccessible by climbing the wall - but wait...

If he could somehow get _above_ those rocks, maybe he could just yank out the stupid Horcrux? He just needed to get a hold of it somehow...

In a flash, Harry realized the answer and Apparated immediately behind the Horcrux on the stony ledge. He began to slip forward down the unstable surface, so he dropped quickly to his feet to stop the momentum. Harry carefully inched forward, keeping an eye out for the amassing goblins. His disappearance didn't seem to be taken all that well - the little brutes were yelling unintelligibly at each other and several were actually stabbed in small, bloody fights that were over in seconds.

There probably wasn't much time left before they noticed Harry still within spear throwing distance, so Harry slowly leaned forward and pulled at the goblet. A sudden shuddering rippled through the wall, catching the goblins attention - several spotted him and began hooting with painfully severe shrieking. One tossed a spear but it passed harmlessly over Harry's prone form.

And then the ground seemed to erupt, as intensely hot lava burst from the wall directly below the embedded treasure, catching a few unwary goblins in its wake. The ones that weren't instantly killed screamed in agony as they burst into flames.

Harry's eyes widened and he began to sweat profusely - the heat was only getting worse. The ledge shuddered and Harry had to swallow a sudden lump in his throat. How stable was this thing anyway?

He pulled at the goblet again, but it didn't move. Harry was afraid to grab for his wand - any more movement might cause the ledge to crumble and fall into the ever expanding pool of lava. If he could somehow use the Charm to travel back - he'd escape that way. But what about the Horcrux fragment? On the other hand, if it fell into the lava, maybe it'd be destroyed - that'd save some time certainly.

The ledge shook again and lurched horribly. Out of time.

Harry was out of remaining options, so he closed his eyes, holding on tightly to the goblet. Everything else he'd been holding had travelled with him, so why not this as well?

And Harry focused on the primary gem - he didn't even have to look. He knew _precisely_ where it was on the Charm. After a moment of nothing happening, Harry opened his eyes, to find himself back in the Weasleys' attic. And a singed but whole goblet in his hands.

The gem was no longer red.

* * *

"_And there was hail, and fire flaming within the hail, very heavy, the likes of which had never been throughout the entire land of Egypt since it had become a nation."_

Slughorn poured himself another glass of brandy, already more than a bit soused even late in the morning. As he let the rich drink sit for a moment, he considered young Harry Potter, whom he had only seen a day prior. Hopefully he had found the diary useful and perhaps even had gotten a start in his quest to track down the Horcruxes. That is, if he hadn't been waylaid by one of the mysterious factions that were always watching.

A sip, then. It was wondrously smooth - a rare vintage, an excellent gift from old Ambrosius Flume. Slughorn wondered if the talented sweetmaker was faring well in such dangerous times.

There was a sudden, odd vibration in the air that caught Slughorn's attention. At first, he looked about in a confused fashion, not recognizing the magical spell. And then it came at once - the perimeter alarm! He hurriedly shifted his form into the battered recliner, hoping he still appeared hidden.

The door swung open slowly, and Lord Voldemort walked in, wand held high. His red, off-putting eyes swept the room, and Slughorn did not even chance a single breath.

Then the Dark Lord's eyes fell upon the cup of brandy that Horace had foolishly left out. "I am not a patient man," the Dark Lord said simply. "If I leave here without finding my quarry, I shall merely use Fiendfyre to cleanse the land of this odious Muggle dwelling."

Slughorn knew he had no choice - and he could not activate any of his secret emergency Portkeys while in his transfigured form. He would need to be extremely cautious and careful with every movement. Slowly the chair transformed back into his human shape and he pulled himself to his feet shakily.

"What... what can I do for you Mr. Riddle?" Slughorn hoped the tremor in his voice wasn't too apparent.

Riddle spat on the ground. "Don't address with that Muggle name! Do not even presume to address me by name, Slughorn. None have earned that right."

Slughorn swallowed and his hand searched for the Portkey stashed under a hidden pocket. "As you say, my... my lord. Why have - that is, what do you require from me?"

Voldemort nodded and waved his wand, causing a pair of chairs to appear from nothing. "I wish to speak with you, and I shall grant you some minor respect due to your history as my Professor. Take a seat."

Slughorn nodded, feeling Riddle's eyes track his movement. Could he retrieve the Portkey without revealing his intentions?

"Please, take another drink," Voldemort said in a voice that was anything but polite. "Don't let my presence interrupt your drunken proclivities."

The old Professor reached out to his drink, now prevented in the short term for his hand to grasp the Portkey. The glass shook a bit as he lifted it to his lips and took a healthy sip. Thankfully, the liquor was just as smooth as before, even with as frightful as his current situation had become.

"Something very odd is going on," said the Dark Lord with a curled lip. "Oddness that I cannot decipher. Things are being hidden from me - _from me_! Even from, I greatly suspect, my own dangerously shortsighted followers."

"I see," replied Slughorn slowly, his hand shaking a bit. "What makes you think I might possibly know something you don't? Perhaps that was true once, but I have not been your teacher for many decades."

Riddle made a derisive sound. "Don't play that game with me, Slughorn. Everyone has their secrets, even you. I have it on very good authority that you and Harry Potter spoke yesterday. Is that why he was not at his Muggle relatives last night?"

This reference to relatives was a bit confusing; this wasn't something Slughorn knew about. Although he wondered how Voldemort had possibly found out about Harry's visit - after all, if he had known at the time, wouldn't he have attacked then? And he didn't know the specifics of the conversation either, which was either very good or very worrying news.

"I suppose there's no point in trying to conceal the fact we spoke," Slughorn spoke carefully, trying not to reveal something that would get him killed. "But it was nothing of consequence, I assure you. And I had no idea where he was before then, or where he was after. I didn't even realize he had Muggle relatives - although, of course, it's obvious now that you mention it. Lily was a Muggle-born..." He stopped talking at Riddle's sudden expression of rage.

"Stop your lies!" Riddle hissed in a disconcertingly serpentine manner. "What did you tell him about Horcruxes? What did Dumbledore instruct you to do before he died?"

Slughorn put down his drink and reached for his pocket, hoping he could reach the Portkey in time.

Riddle held up his wand and Slughorn froze. "What are you doing?" Riddle's eyes narrowed and he waved his wand. "_Incarcerous_." Instantly the old Potions Professor's arms were tied to his sides by the conjured ropes.

"I have grown tired with your incessant fidgeting," Riddle informed him. "Now, enough with your equivocating and answer my questions!"

Sweat beaded on Slughorn's forehead, and he wished desperately for his handkerchief - but he dared not broach the subject. "You don't understand, my lord. I dare not reveal the true contents of our conversation. It would put us both in grave danger."

Riddle's eyes widened and he breathed in sharply. "You dare suggest I am I danger? I _knew_ you had secret knowledge - what in Merlin's name is going on that I have not been told of?" His mouth closed and Voldemort looked suddenly troubled. "What does Potter know about Horcruxes?"

"A great deal," Slughorn admitted. "But that is not where you should be concerned."

"How much do _you_ know?" Voldemort demanded.

Slughorn shrugged through his bonds. "Only what Albus told me, and a bit of historical knowledge as well. I know that you created Horcruxes, probably six in number based on our conversation so long ago. But the truth of those cursed objects - that I only learned about far more recently."

Riddle blinked and sat back in his chair. "What _truth_ are you vaguely referring to? And what about Dumbledore?"

"He's the one who pointed me in the right direction, albeit a bit circumspectly." Slughorn tried to still his breathing - his heart felt like a pounding hammer in his chest. "Normally I worry about revealing too much - but then, I'm dead anyway, aren't I?"

"You have spoke to Dumbledore and Potter about Horcruxes, haven't you?"

Slughorn nodded slowly. "Yes, although Albus suspected as much already. But the Horcruxes... I know what you think they can do, but the truth is far worse. You have been manipulated into creating multiple Horcruxes."

"Nonsense!" Riddle spat. "Such nonsense! As if anyone else had any part in my quest!"

"It may have been more subtle than you realize," Slughorn pointed out, and then licked his suddenly dry lips. "A chance remark, a book given to you... do you recall how you initially came across the concept of Horcruxes?"

Voldemort frowned and stroked his chin. "I... am unsure. I may have to investigate my memories later." He looked back up at Slughorn, his eyes glowing with rage. "Something isn't right... perhaps I believe you after all. But it makes little sense - why would someone from long ago wish me to become immortal?"

Slughorn sighed and swallowed, shifting a bit in his chair. "Because Horcruxes have a dangerous side effect - they cause a dangerous instability in the foundation of reality. The secret you have only suspected is that a clandestine war has been fought for centuries regarding how reality is comprised and can be manipulated. There are those who wish to disrupt the status quo and those who strive to maintain it."

"Some secret cabal dares to manipulate Lord Voldemort!" The Dark Lord seethed, his hand clenching his wand turning white. "The signs have been there all along, but I refused to acknowledge the very idea of such blasphemy against me." He looked at Slughorn and frowned. "I can tell you are speaking truth now. Explain what you mean - how can the creation of Horcruxes affect the composition of reality?"

Slughorn breathed in deeply and closed his eyes. This was it - there wasn't much of a chance of getting out alive no matter how suddenly sympathetic Riddle seemed. He opened his eyes and looked directly at his former prized student. "It is complicated and highly technical, and I do not fully understand it," he said slowly. "But perhaps you shall succeed where I failed and rise above their efforts at manipulation.

Riddle nodded once, up and down.

"The most concise way I can describe it is thus: The creation of a Horcrux bifurcates the internal magical substrate of that individual into probabilistic subjuncts off the primary identity baseline reality matrix, but the separation acts as a hard differentiating factor that according to reasonable logical induction, exponentially accumulating subjunct fragments for each additional Horcrux. The concern is that this will initiate a cascading failure of substrate connectivity that could theoretically cause the disruption or disintegration of reality."

For a full minute, there was silence in the room, then Riddle spoke. "You use words that don't entirely make sense in that context, but they seem logically consistent. Why would anyone wish for such a thing to happen? For the world to end?"

"Madness, I suspect," Slughorn said with a cough, beginning to feel a bit lightheaded. "Or perhaps they believe - " he coughed again. "That they can reform or influence reality in some powerful way by disrupting it." Slughorn felt his throat itch and suddenly it became difficult to breathe. His face slowly began to turn red and Slughorn grasped at his throat, making choking sounds.

Riddle stood up in shock. "What in Merlin's name...? Is this some sort of trick?" His wand was pointed straight at Slughorn, but the Dark Lord seemed a bit uncertain. "_Jugulum Eripere_!"

The portly Potions Professor began to breath in suddenly available bursts of air. "That..." The prone man coughed and wheezed but tried to complete his sentence in a horribly raspy voice. "That won't work, my lord. They have seized my breath in secret." He held up his wand and waved it once - the wood began to vibrate slightly.

"This stopgap will not last long," Slughorn's voice emanated from the vibrating wand.

Riddle's eyes widened in surprise. This was a spell he had never seen before - for that matter, he hadn't even noticed the death spell on Slughorn that was constricting his throat.

"I don't have long," Slughorn's voice continued. "This spell against me only works because they set it up years earlier. The nature of the Horcruxes has caused instability in the lower subjuncts, as I said, leading to an inability to access them any longer. But previously prepared spells such as this... all too possible." Slughorn's face was starting to turn almost purple and his eyes began to bug out a bit.

"Research the word 'subjunct', but carefully. And track down who influenced you to create Horcruxes. There you shall find the answers you seek. For now, you and Harry Potter work towards the same goal." This was not quite true, but Slughorn did not wish Riddle to know the full truth of things.

A sudden, violent convulsion rippled through Slughorn and he dropped his wand in agony.

Riddle stepped forward and looked straight in Slughorn's eyes. "Mercy?" He asked quietly.

After a pause, Slughorn managed to nod, his body shaking and shuddering with the pain.

With a nod, the Dark Lord stood up straight and smiled slightly. "Lord Voldemort is merciful. _Avada Kedavra_."

Slughorn no longer shook or convulsed. His suffering had ended, and Riddle stood alone in the room. An odd feeling came over him as he looked at his old Potions Professor, but he shook himself and then began to feel rage. Those fools that dared manipulate and defy him would perish in pain. Worse than they had ever done to Slughorn, a thousand times worse.

Riddle swore silently that they would all pay and the Dark Lord vanished from the room.

* * *

"_Joy descends gently upon us like the evening dew, and does not patter down like a hailstorm." - Jean Paul Richter_

_Far to the East of the Primary reality_

An uneasy feeling washed over Harry as he looked around the new empty attic, desolate even with the small shafts of light spotting the room from many small windows. Although there was no physical evidence of anything nefarious, there was still something that gave Harry chills. He knelt on the floor where only hours earlier some odd magical circle had been drawn. There was not even the hint of it remaining. Bill and Fleur had done an utterly fantastic job cleaning up the scene.

He would need to talk to them soon, hopefully they would have ideas of destroying the Horcruxes once all had been gathered together. Harry ran over them quickly in his head to keep track. The ring wasn't an issue and the locket was under his bed at the Tonks house. The diary and the cup were with him right now, although the Hufflepuff cup felt suddenly cold. Perhaps it knew Harry was thinking about it. That left Nagini and something probably belonging to the Founders. Harry still had no idea what the mystery item was, but with the power of the Anubis Charm, he wasn't worried about finding it.

Only just a tad worried about actually identifying it when he came across the bloody thing.

Two Horcuxes left out there and two lit gems remaining. One closer, on the right, and one quite far, on the left. Harry still planned to wait that one out as long as possible, so clearly the somewhat closer reality was the better, wiser choice.

"Hmm," Harry grunted thoughtfully and looked around the attic for a possible hiding place. The diary was easy enough to keep with him, but Harry was worried that he could drop the cup without realizing it. He spotted a musty old rug draped over a few old pottery jars and grinned. That'd do until he came back with the Horcrux, whichever one it was... probably not Nagini, which was good, because how would that even work exactly? Harry packed the Hufflepuff cup under the carpet and moved it until the cup was completely concealed. There.

Harry stood back and glanced at the Charm - the same two gems were still glowing red. He then pulled out his watch to check the time, but of course it was still broken. Harry's eyes narrowed thoughtfully and then he smacked his forehead. How could he have been so stupid?

"_Reparo_." A pause, carefully inspecting the timepiece, but after several seconds and even a bit of frantic winding, the watch remained nonfunctional. "Ah, you're bloody useless!" Harry was about to throw the thing aside, but paused and looked at it again. "Nah, can't stay mad at you."

He grinned. The stupid thing had been with him too long to discard it now. Perhaps it'd come in handy if Harry ever came across a sub-reality where people worshipped clocks. Anything was possible, after all.

But although Harry was still not entirely sure the time, he could tell it was already early afternoon most likely - and it wasn't like he had anything else to do that day anyhow. With barely a hint of concentration, Harry shifted to the Eastern reality.

This time, there was no disorientation at all, and Harry looked around to look for the Horcrux. He found himself in a very familiar graveyard, the desolate one where Voldemort had been resurrected. An odd place to hide the Horcrux, certainly - hardly seemed in keeping with Riddle's behavior, although it _was_ where his father had been buried.

Harry pulled out his wand and walked forward, looking around for any signs of the mysterious object. Hopefully it wasn't actually buried underground... that'd be a pain to retrieve. And for that matter, what sort of alternate reality was this? A glance at the Charm revealed that he had indeed traveled elsewhere, but where?

A sudden movement in the corner of Harry's eyes and he whirled to see a hawk screaming out at him, talons outstretched. "_Stupefy!_" The quick spell hid the bird head on and it fell to the ground with a thumping sound. A chill ran down Harry's back and he turned slowly - he had been surrounded by several vicious animals. A large dog, a few cats and a bird or two. Nothing he was entirely worried about, but there were ten or so, which was potentially quite dangerous.

So... this was the Animal world then?

"_Stand back, fools!_"

Harry jumped back with a start. He had _understood _that hissing sound. Wait, a hissing sound? But that could only mean...

An enormous snake slithered between gravestones and halted between the dog and a cat. The immense reptile was distinct and obviously unique. Nagini. Well, no one ever said Horcrux Hunting would be easy!

"_Stupefy!_" Harry shouted immediately, hoping to get the drop on the serpent, but Nagini darted aside quickly. She leaped at Harry with outstretched fangs.

"_Protego_!" Nagini bounced off the hastily raised magical shield, then slid rapidly through the weeds and grass. One of the birds came at Harry then with two of the cats at the same time. Grimacing and ducking, Harry threw the Reductor Curse at the cats, knocking both back at the same time. He hit the bird with a silent _Stupefy_, which would have impressed him more if he had do so intentionally.

Nagini's tail burst out from behind him and smacked hard against Harry's ankles, sending him stumbling forward, then the snake jumped at him again.

"_Die!_" She hissed angrily.

"_Sectumsempra!_" Harry cried in desperation, and the giant snake's head was knocked back, blood spurting in the air. Now with a bit of an advantage, Harry pressed forward. "_Reducto!_" Nagini was knocked back again, seemingly stunned. "_Stupefy! Petrificus Totatalus! Reducto! REDUCTO! SECTUMSEMPRA!_" The battered snake twitched but seemed alive. Harry walked over, feeling quite bold, and stuck his wand in front of the snake's mouth.

"_Diffindo!_" A hole burst out the back of Nagini's head, and Harry jerked his hand back before the fangs accidentally touched him. After a minute, Harry realized that the giant snake was dead. Probably.

Harry started to pick up the snake then stopped. He could almost hear Ron shout "Are you a bloody wizard or not?"

"_Wingardium Leviosa_." The snake hovered into the air and Harry grabbed onto the scaly body, hoping it would travel with him. The remaining animals, probably Death Eater animals, now that Harry thought about it, stood nearby uncertainly. Harry glared at them.

"You want to die too? I'm the only one with a wand here." Really, it was quite an unfair advantage.

The animals all backed away, and Harry grinned widely. Cowards. Smart cowards, but cowards nonetheless. It was time to head back home. Or to the Weasley's attic, and then home. Well, he'd figure it out.

* * *

"_Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail."_

"Are you _sure_ about this?" Bill asked for about the tenth time.

Fleur scowled and smacked him on the shoulder. "Oui, Bill! 'ow many times must I say zis? Do you really not trust your bruzzers?"

"I _think_ I trust the twins," said Bill slowly. "But for all I know, they could be enmeshed in this conspiracy too. How do we know for sure?"

"You are too paranoid," huffed Fleur and tossed back her hair. "Ze twins are good boys. And zis is _precisely_ ze sort of sing ze'd be perfect for."

"I'm not denying that." It was certainly true that the twins were more than qualified to blow things up - but anchored Horcruxes? Or Horcrux fragments, as Fleur had explained. Bill prided himself on the ability to easily understand obscure magical theory that stymied even the most intelligent Ravenclaws of his year, but this bizarre reality theory was hard to truly grasp without the physical evidence to back it up.

Although the equations and theories certainly seemed to be consistent so far, there was a glitch in the process. Fleur outright refused to talk out loud about several key concepts, as she claimed they could attract unwanted attention by merely speaking certain words aloud. Certainly the concept of Taboo words was hardly a new concept, so it was well within the realm of possibility. But it frustrated Bill when he couldn't clarify whether subjuncts could overlap over individual substrates or if spells could travel transversely as opposed to linearly.

"Read ze books," she had kept saying.

"Sick of reading bloody books," Bill grumbled as they walked through Diagon Alley.

Fleur gave her fiance a sharp look. "What was zat?"

Bill rolled his eyes but plastered a huge smile on his face. "Nothing, darling! I'll just be glad when we can talk in a secure location." He raised an eyebrow. "And that will be... when exactly?"

"Not zis again," Fleur said and shook her head. "I do not know ze spells for absolute security. And I do not want zem knowing zat I 'ave told you anysing at all. So ze normal safehouse is off-limits for us."

"Well, fine then," Bill replied, pretending it didn't bother him, although he knew Fleur could read his moods more than easily. "Anyway, we're here. Shall we, mademoiselle?"

Fleur giggled and held a hand to her mouth. "Oh, Bill you know 'ow it excites to 'ear you mangle français like zat!" She kissed him on the cheek.

Bill grinned widely, knowing this quite well indeed. He pushed open the door to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, which was actually a bit crowded even with the terrified pall over the Alley.

"Why look who it is!" Fred popped around a case of random nonsense with a wide grin on his face. "Our favorite Weasley!"

"Oh, and Bill," George put in from the other side.

Fred nodded approvingly.

"I am not quite in ze family yet," Fleur told them with a cheery laugh.

Shaking his head dramatically, Fred scoffed loudly. "Mere details. Give us a hug then!" He held Fleur for just a bit too long, forcing Bill to send a small hex at his bum.

"Hey!" Fred rubbed his arse and his eyes narrowed. "No hexing the store owners, that's a rule."

"Family exemption," George pointed out sagely.

"Hmph, never should've allowed that," grumbled Fred.

George put an arm around Bill's shoulder and grinned. "So how goes the wedding? Mum gone balmy yet?"

"Almost," Bill chuckled. "But that's not actually why we're here."

"Do you 'ave a private room zat is secure?" Fleur asked seriously.

Fred and George exchanged a look.

"Is this a serious sort of thing?" George asked.

Bill nodded. "The most serious sort."

Fred sighed and nodded. "Guess it can't be helped. Come on then, you two." He led them to the back of the store into a workshop. After George closed the door, Fred tapped three times on a book in one of the bookcases, which rose into the air, revealing a lit staircase underneath.

Winking at them, Fred gestured with his wand. "After you, my dears. Age before beauty, after all."

"Well I suppose I'm last down then," George said thoughtfully.

"That's enough out of you," Fred told him in a severe tone.

Bill walked down the twisted stairway, Fleur right behind him. They found themselves before a locked door, and then Fred raced down before they could attempt to open it.

"Hold on there," he said, a bit out of breath. "A few traps on this one. Not that I doubt the talents of the family treasure hunter, but better safe than sorry, innit?" He mumbled something under his breath and the door swung open, revealing yet another workshop, albeit a bit smaller.

George was now behind them and nodded at Fred. "Upstairs is secure. We're good to go." He closed the door behind them and cast a quick obscuring spell.

Fred smiled at Bill and Fleur. "All right then, you two. What's the big secret?"

Bill grinned at the Twins. "We need you to blow something up."

* * *

_I wield the flail of the lashing hail,_

_And whiten the green plains under,_

_And then again I dissolve it in rain,_

_And laugh as I pass in thunder..._

_~Percy Shelley_

Harry sighed as he picked up the apparently undiscovered Hufflepuff cup from its hiding place. It had been a tiring day, and he was utterly exhausted again. But it had been a quite productive day, leaving just the single mystery Horcrux still. Whatever it was, of course.

If only the Anubis Charm could work as a way to jump between physical places in the main reality too, it'd be easy to just quickly head over to the Tonks house and grab the locket so he could have them all in one place. Harry looked at the Anubis Charm and considered the notion. Well... perhaps it _was _possible to do that?

Harry let his mind focus on the locket that he had stowed under the bed and concentrated on the Charm at the same time. It was difficult to think of two things at once, but suddenly it snapped into place and it seemed so utterly obvious, Harry was shocked he hadn't realized how earlier. He vanished and reappeared in the Tonks house, his room seemingly unchanged from the day before.

"_Accio_ locket!" Thankfully, the Horcrux was still there, jumping into Harry's outstretched hand.

Harry yawned and considered his options. He really wanted to get some sleep before tackling the final Horcrux fragment, but he was worried about the safety of the Horcruxes he already had. Perhaps Bill and Fleur might have some ideas about where they could be stored? And then, Harry could focus on the tasks remaining without constantly worrying that he had dropped something in some random reality.

Time to try the Charm again, this time to find Bill and Fleur, if they were actually together. Harry closed his eyes and _inserted _the memory of the two into the Charm, then relaxed and refocused as had just a minute earlier. Sure enough, it worked and Harry found himself looking at a surprised Bill Weasley, with a smug looking Fleur next to him. And the Weasley twins were there as well, jaws hanging open.

"Oh hey guys," Harry said nonchalantly. "Um, say... where are we again?"

Fleur began to laugh.

* * *

Next time…

_Voracious and unstoppable, the locusts devour all life in their path - unless you know where to hide._

Aseret HaMakot

BLOOD FROGS LICE BEASTS PESTILENCE BOILS HAIL LOCUSTS DARKNESS DEATH OF THE FIRST BORN


	8. LOCUSTS

_Disclaimer: All non-original Harry Potter characters belong to JK Rowling and her affiliated companies. I'm just taking them out for some overdue cleaning._

_Previously, Harry retrieves the Horcruxes from odd Goblin and Animagus subdimensions with reasonable ease. Slughorn is killed by an unknown spell when he reveals secrets to Voldemort, and Fleur and Bill ask the Weasley Twins for assistance with destroying something. And then, Harry shows up..._

* * *

"Alright, here's the last one," Harry said, dropping the corpse of Nagini on the floor next to the other gathered Horcruxes.

Fred held his nose. "That's foul, Harry. Say, wasn't this the bugger that attacked Dad?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, exactly. Difficult to kill, but I was able to wear it down."

George kicked the dead snake and spat on it. "Rot in hell, you monstrous mutation."

Fred clasped Harry on the back and grinned at him. "Although I wish we'd been the ones to take that bit of revenge, I'm glad we'll at least be able to incinerate it into nothingness."

"You really think you'll be able to destroy them all?" Harry asked Bill, who was carving some runes on a large metal box.

"Oh yeah," Bill said distractedly. "Normally I'd say a Horcrux could only be destroyed by the most destructive elements or magic - you know, Basilisk venom, lava, and of course, Fiendfyre. We'll be using a variation on that here."

"We've never made a Fiendfyre bomb before," Fred confessed. "But I must admit, the challenge of making something so stupidly dangerous and volatile. Well..."

"It's us!" George put in with a smile. "Although the stuff Fleur's adding isn't much like anything I've ever seen. Bill, do you have any idea about all that 'recyclic convergent foci' drivel she keeps going on about?"

Bill glared at his brother. "Don't be an arse, George. I have a pretty good idea now, since Fleur's lent me a few books. The whole point is to cascade the explosion through the lower reality layers so that the connective Horcrux... fragments, I suppose is the right word, all get destroyed simultaneously." He looked over his handiwork and sighed. "But these limiters are a bit of a pain. We don't want to blow up Hogsmeade - and the kind of forces we're dealing with could easily get out of control."

"Blowing up Hogsmeade..." George mused.

"Childhood dream, innit?" Fred smirked."

Bill rolled his eyes. "Always thinking small, you two. I should probably reinforce the wards on the building too."

"What, so if it goes pear-shaped only our store will be destroyed?" Fred asked with a slight touch of anger.

"Exactly," Bill replied as he walked up the stairs. He began to mutter to himself as his voice faded. "And maybe we should also think about..."

Harry yawned. "I'm knackered. You guys mind if I come back in the morning?"

"Of course, of course, Harry," George agreed and waved him off. "We'll be busy and the Horcruxes ought to be pretty safe here with us down here and the happy couple upstairs. With luck and a touch of hard work, we should be ready to destroy the lot tomorrow. That is, if you've managed to get the last one."

Harry rubbed the one remaining red gem on his Charm - the one all the way at the very left end. "I'll leave first thing in the morning and be back for lunch. I like your Mum's sandwiches, so bring those by when I come back."

Fred bowed and waved his hand in a flourish. "Your will, great one."

Harry rolled his eyes but couldn't contain a small smile. "Tomorrow, then."

* * *

**CHAPTER 8: LOCUSTS**

* * *

_Elsewhere, as far West as the Sun from the Moon and back again_

The first thing Harry noticed was the lack of anything at all. The sky was a dirty gray, with no visible clouds and no clear light source. He stood on a muddy hill in the middle of even more muddy hills, some looking quite rocky and dangerous to navigate. If there was a Horcrux around, it wasn't at all obvious. It wasn't buried, was it? That'd be a pain to search for, digging through endless dirt for something Harry wasn't even sure about. After all, he still didn't know what the Horcrux _was_- or if he'd even recognize it on sight.

Harry decided to walk up one of the hills to get a better view of his surroundings. He walked through the mud, his boots making unpleasant squelching noises as he made his way up the hill. Harry coughed suddenly; there seemed to be a sort of dust in the air, and it was getting worse. A quick Bubble-Headed Charm fixed this problem, although the dust was beginning to be difficult to see through. After several minutes, Harry finally reached the peak of the hill and looked around. There seemed to be this miasma of dust in all directions, and nothing but dirty hills and dark barren plains. Except... a spot of green! Harry squinted and looked in the distance - a forest! A small one, but it was something different. And unusual, sticking out there in the middle of nothing but dirt and rock.

So Harry began the arduous task of carefully walking down the hillside, trying not to lose his boots in the disgusting mud. The dust got worse all of the sudden, piercing his Bubble-Head containment, and a speck got in his eye. Harry flinched and tripped, falling into the sticky glop. Cursing, he got to his feet while unsticking himself from the ground. Several angry _Scourgify_spells helped a bit, but there seemed to be mud soaked into his clothes that just wouldn't come out.

"The hell with it," Harry grumbled, and recast the Bubble-Head Charm. It didn't take that long to reach the bottom of the hill, and Harry grinned as he saw dry ground ahead. As he reached the dry, parched earth, he yanked hard out of the mud and stepped forward, only to fall as the ground crumbled under his foot. The ground was so dry it seemed closer to sand, and now Harry was severely annoyed as he trudged through crumbling dirt and gravel. After what seemed like hours, Harry finally reached the edge of the forest, and he gingerly stepped onto the grass surrounding it. He shifted around a bit, but the earth seemed quite stable. Well, that was something good, in any event.

"So, you've finally arrived. I was wondering how long I'd end up waiting."

Harry whirled at the unexpected voice to see a young red-haired woman floating nearby. She wore sensible, hardy clothes, although the style of her robes was a bit odd. She seemed a firm sort of presence - not quite stout, but very solid, and she smiled widely at Harry.

"Ah, Harry Potter, is it? Do you know who I am?"

Harry peered at the witch and blinked in surprise when he realized he could see through her form. "Are you... a ghost?"

She shook her head. "Ah, no, not anything like that. I'm a sort of temporary manifestation with limited knowledge. I can interact with you and answer questions, but I don't have the full memories of my creator."

"Like a portrait?" asked Harry.

"Yes, exactly! Well done, young man! But you haven't answered my question, not truly. Who am I?"

Harry frowned and inspected the form of the woman, who smiled and turned in a circle. "You do look awfully familiar," he admitted. "Not sure, though. Should I know?"

"Yes, Harry Potter," the woman replied in a pleasant tone. "You have seen my face, although not quite as I look in this form. If you were my in my House, you'd certainly have recognized by now, I think."

"Your House..." Harry repeated, then his jaw dropped as he recognized the woman. "You're a Founder! Helga Hufflepuff... but you look so young."

"Thank you," Helga said with a short curtsy. "I was fairly young when I created this form. Not much older than you are now, as point of fact."

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked. "Do you know about the Horcrux?"

The Hufflepuff Founder looked confused for a moment, then broke into a smile. "Ah, yes, I see. Don't worry, the Horcrux will be yours - if you can complete the Trials."

"Naturally," grumbled Harry. "And I suppose you're here to help me do this... Trial?"

Helga nodded. "Precisely." She gestured into the forest. "In the heart of this Forest, my Ultimate Weapon awaits one that can bear it willingly and with the ability to withstand its power." The floating apparition looked back at Harry. "If you defeat the Guardian of the Grounds, the Weapon shall be yours to wield. You will need it to complete the next Trial. But to win this first Trial, the Trial of Stamina and Strength, you may only use what you currently hold. Your charm will not work here."

Harry grabbed his Anubis bracelet worriedly. "Wait, you mean I can't travel away from here?"

"No, no longer," the Founder told him sternly. "There are Rules. And until the Trial has been completed, none may leave the flow of time." She shrugged. "It's for your own good, trust me." Helga winked and began to disappear. "Oh, and one more thing. Everything will be trying to kill you. So try not to die." Without another word, she faded away entirely.

Harry sighed and pulled out his wand, walking carefully into the dense wood. It seemed that enough light had permeated the forest that a _Lumos_was unnecessary - one bit of good news, anyway. He kept an eye out for any of the "everything that was trying to kill him" - could be anything, after all. Harry was still looking around when the vine attacked. He leaped aside as the long tendril smashed into the dirt, and readied himself to defend any further strikes.

Out of the shadows, a small tree with the carved face of something almost but not quite human slithered forward on roots made of vines. The face shook with what seemed almost like laughter. Suddenly a vine shot out, catching Harry off guard and curled around his foot, dragging him forward.

"_Incendio_!" Harry cried, and a burst of fire enveloped the tree, which began to shriek in pain. The vine slackened its pull, and Harry angrily cut it with a silent _Diffindo_. The tree attempted to crawl forward, but it was entirely ablaze this point. Harry felt a bit bad and extinguished the fire with _Aguamenti_- the now blackened and shriveled tree twitched a bit and stopped moving entirely.

"Poor little thing," Harry said sadly. And he heard the sounds of slithering behind him and jumped to the side instinctively. Three vines grasped at the ground behind him, and Harry snarled in annoyance to see three more of the crawling trees. No longer feeling quite so sympathetic, he set them all ablaze and continued to walk through the forest. It took nearly an hour walking completely at a normal pace before the shrieks could no longer be heard.

The forest seemed quite peaceful then, with the sounds of leaves rustling and a gentle wind the only real accompaniment. Harry walked for nearly another full hour, just breathing in the pleasant air and keeping one eye out for more dangers. And then he stepped into a puddle of slime. Harry jerked back, but his foot was stuck in a greenish pool of sticky muck.

"What is this...?" His voice trailed off as the slime began to shift and rise out of the ground into a shambling pillar of green jelly. The tower of sludge began to extend tendrils of goo towards Harry, and he spat out "_Incendio_" in shock. The slime instantly caught on fire, starting to spread to the tentacle wrapped around his leg.

"Hell!" Harry cursed as he frantically tried to extricate himself from the advanced flaming glop. "_Diffindo_!" A small bit of fiery sludge burst out of the back of the slime, hitting the ground - but that was the only effect, and then it was almost on top of him. "_Reducto_!" The slime exploded in all directions, and Harry quickly cast Aguamention himself to put out the little fires that had started.

Harry scowled at the little fires all over the place. "Stupid thing. I don't even know what that was!"

A shuffling sound alerted him, and he turned to see a muddy skeleton shambling towards him, covered in grime and dirt. "Well, this is just _perfect_," Harry muttered, until he heard the same sound behind him. Another two skeletons. They made no other noise - although that sort of made sense, no vocal cords after all. "_Reducto!_" The spell smashed the skull entirely off one of the shambling pile of bones, and another reduced the legs to powder.

"Bloody undead... least they're not _Inferi_. _Reducto! Reducto! Reducto!_" Harry kept throwing curses until there was nothing but twitching bones on the ground. With a deep sigh, he walked forward in the same direction, noticing it was a bit darker than before. After a short while, he spotted a row of thick bushes nestled together in all visible directions. It seemed that the only choice was to go through. Harry began to push his way through the bushes, getting slashed a few times by thorns and branches as he went. And then he heard a sound behind him.

Getting a terrible feeling, he turned and saw several skeletons approaching in their slow, lumbering manner. Behind them, nearly a dozen oozing pillars of slime slithered across the forest floor. And over twenty of the stupid trees on vines could be seen rapidly covering the ground between them and the hedges.

Cursing again, Harry slashed at the leaves with his wand, but every hole he smashed open quickly closed again with the leaves. He turned behind and threw flames and curses at the approaching monsters, trying to buy some time, then began to inch his way through the magical hedge. It was worse as he became more and more enveloped in the brambles. Every step brought a new whip across the face of thorns or hard smack on the shins with a heavy branch. Harry didn't dare look behind him, hoping that the creatures were having just as difficult a time navigating the bushes. And suddenly, it was over, and Harry stumbled out into an empty part of the forest, a circle surrounded entirely by the hedge.

"Hmm, not bad," a voice said. It was Helga Hufflepuff again, apparently she had followed Harry into the forest. "Not so great, either, but a solid effort. It's not how I would've done things, but you made it. Well done, Harry Potter!" She smiled at him.

"So... do I get your 'Ultimate Weapon' now?" Harry asked gingerly, wondering what it was - or if it might even be the Horcrux.

Helga laughed. "Hardly, young man. First you must defeat my Champion. It wields my Weapon; defeat it and it is yours to carry. Good luck!" She then turned and faced the center of the circle. "**_Sikónomai Minótavros tis láspis_**!" Whatever this meant, the spell seemed to work, as something began to happen.

Mud started to rise from the ground, higher and higher, slowing forming into a shape - it was almost humanoid, but not entirely. Then the mud began to solidify into the form of giant monster, nearly eight feet tall - some sort of beast with the body of a muscular human but the head of a bull. Harry felt he had heard the word for it before... Hermione would be annoyed that he couldn't recall it.

But this was no ordinary beast - instead of flesh and bone, it seemed entirely made out of solid rock and dirt. Its eyes were rolling balls of mud and as it stretched, tiny cracks appeared and disappeared all along its body. The beast stared at Harry and growled incoherently, and then it charged. Harry jumped out of the way, but was clipped hard by a glancing blow and fell to the ground.

He quickly got back to his feet as the mud monster growled again, rubbing his injured shoulder. It charged once more, but Harry was ready and cast _Protego_- when the beast hit the shield, Harry fell back a bit, but the monster tripped backwards and fell to the ground with an enormous sound that echoed.

"_Incendio_!" Harry quickly cast, and a wave of flames burst over the the best. The dirt and mud shifted, and suddenly the fire was gone entirely. But it seemed to be annoyed by the spell, and jumped to its feet with a freakishly fluid motion. The thing reached behind its back and grabbed onto something Harry couldn't see. And then, with a very audible grunt, the monster pulled, seemingly from itself, an enormous axe, nearly half the length of the monster. With a roar, the monster smashed the axe into the ground and the ground shook, throwing Harry off his feet again.

Harry rolled aside, and kept a tight hold on his wand. "_Reducto!_" The spell smashed some of the dirt and stone in a spray from the monster, but it seemed otherwise whole. Harry frowned, and considered... time to pull out all the stops. "_Sectumsempra_!" More dirt sprayed as visible grooves appeared, then healed after a moment. But the beast screamed in pain and raised the axe. Suddenly, the ground burst upwards, surrounding the monster with a ring of dirt.

Harry blinked in surprise, then cautiously walked around the ring, waiting for the monster to attack once more. And then he had an idea - but he'd need to time it exactly right.

The charge came suddenly once more, the monster bursting through the protective layer of stone and dirt like paper, but Harry was ready.

"_Aguamenti_!" He yelled as he jumped to the side, the water splashing into the surprised bull's head. "_Reducto_!_ Sectumsempra_!" The now muddy head of the monster exploded and the beast fell to the ground with a great thump. Harry stood behind, wand at the ready. The beast's body shifted, as rock and dirt moved around - but Harry was prepared to find a weak spot yet again.

The headless giant slowly came to his feet and Harry backed up, still holding his wand aloft. But then the monster dropped to one knee and held out the axe across its palms.

"Take it," advised a now familiar voice.

"I can't," Harry admitted to Hufflepuff's floating form. "It's almost as long as I am."

Helga laughed. "Don't be foolish, Harry. I'm shorter than you, and I used it all the time."

Harry looked at her incredulously and then back at the axe. It seemed too heavy for even maybe even Hagrid to lift easily, much less a girl shorter than Harry. Even if she didn't exactly seem weak at all.

"Just take it already," Helga said in a bit of an annoyed tone. "You defeated the Mud Minotaur - with a bit of cleverness, I admit I didn't expect. So the _Ascia Gigantis_is yours to wield."

"Minotaur!" Harry exclaimed. "Right, _that's _what it's called. But... um, what's the Asha Gigantos?"

"_Ascia Gigantis_," Helga said slowly. "That means "Axe of Giants". You really ought to catch up on your Latin, young man. It's useful, I assure you."

"Probably," agreed Harry and took the axe, readying for its inevitable weight. But shockingly, it was incredibly light, almost as light as his wand. His miscalculation of strength caused Harry to drop the axe on the ground, where it hit with a decidedly heavy sound. Harry picked up the Axe and looked it at curiously.

"Charmed to be lighter than it is, of course," Helga explained. "Naturally." She began to laugh. "What did you expect? '_Strength of the giant's hand, held by a human's._' Not exactly poetry, but there you are."

The weapon felt slim but powerful in his hands, and Harry grinned. "It's great, but it'd be hard to use my wand at the same time."

Hufflepuff scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, Mr. Potter! It doubles as a wand, of course - although I should warn you, it's specialty is Earth-elemental spells, so any other spell, like your fire and water ones won't be as effective."

"Earth-elemental?" Harry took a few practice with the axe, finding it incredibly easy to handle. He pointed it the hedge. "_Reducto_." Several bushes exploded, before quickly reforming into a solid hedge once more. "What do you know? It _does_work as a wand!"

"I'm not surprised you don't know about Elemental magic," Helga said with a kind smile. "We intended to hide it from anyone after returning to the primary reality."

"Oh, so you know - that is, you knew about the split reality business?"

Helga raised an eyebrow. "A bit obvious, isn't it?"

Harry coughed in embarrassment. "Yes, well, good point. You said 'we' - you mean the other Founders? Are they here too?" He paused as a thought occurred to him. "Are the other Trials to do with them as well?"

"Exactly!" Hufflepuff said proudly. "You'll do fine, I believe. Now, you will need to use the Axe's powers of Earth manipulation to escape the forest. Easy enough, just create a simple walkway out of the wood, and you're done! You'll see the Pyramid on the other side. That will be your next place of Trials."

"And another weapon?" Harry ventured.

Helga nodded. "Now, get to it!" She began to fade away, and Harry held up a hand quickly.

"Wait, I don't know how to use the Axe to do all that stuff!"

"Just do what feels right," Helga advised as she disappeared. "Elemental magic is more about thought and energy than words." Then she was gone.

Harry frowned and looked down at the enormous double-bladed Axe, trying to get a sense of the weapon. The minotaur had shaken the ground with a mighty blow to the ground, but had also raised a protective wall of dirt and stone - without using anything other than grunts and snarls. So it was worth a shot. Harry raised up the axe and tried to imagine the feeling of pulling up from below. Instantly, the ground under his feet shot up and propelled him several feet into the air. After a moment of making sure he wasn't about to fall off the dirt pillar, Harry glanced around, now with a better view of the forest.

The circle of hedges was tightly closed around him, stretching for quite a ways in each direction, but not impossibly long. But it wasn't like he could just jump from treetop to treetop like a squirrel. So Harry practiced for a few minutes, trying to control just where he could raise and drop walls of earth. It became increasingly easier with each success, which seemed reasonable enough. With a wave of the axe, Harry pulled a walkway directly through the hedge and raised it high enough not be overrun. After that, it was a simple matter to walk down the sturdy dirt and stone and jump off the other side.

It was almost pleasant to walk through the forest then, without the constant worry of attack. But soon enough, Harry reached the end of the trees and grass, and walked out to see a lake that stretched miles in all visible directions. A ways away, a visible blue and grey pyramid was directly in the middle of the water.

"Great..." Harry grumbled. "I hate swimming." But it was good opportunity to test spells with the axe, so Harry applied the Bubble-Head Charm with only just a bit of difficulty, and began to swim towards the pyramid. Considering what he had already faced, Harry kept an eye out for anything terrible and monstrous. But the waters were peaceful, albeit murky and increasingly cold, the closer he got to the pyramid. By the time he reached the pyramid, after nearly thirty minutes of nonstop if casual swimming, Harry was exhausted and shivering. The Pyramid itself seemed to be constructed of frozen stones, with literal icicles dripping everywhere.

Harry cast a few warming charms to dry off - they didn't seem quite as effective with Hufflepuff's Axe, so multiple instances were required. Feeling a bit better, Harry looked back over the lake and the now distant forest. It seemed so long ago already. He decided to sit down and take a quick break before continuing. What was the harm, after all?

"Are you quite finished?"

Harry jumped up in surprise. Another floating apparition, and another woman - a rather pretty, if unsmiling woman of similar age to Hufflepuff, with long black hair. She wore elegant, if still fairly functional travel robes, and had all manner of jewelry, from rings on each hand to a delicate tiara on her head.

"Hello," Harry said with a smile. He had a pretty good idea about this one, after all. "Rowena Ravenclaw, right?"

"Indeed," the Founder replied a bit icily. "And you are Harry Potter, wielder of the _Ascia Gigantis_and victim of ridiculous circumstances."

"It's nice to meet you," Harry said politely, a bit taken aback at Ravenclaw's cold manner. Wasn't she supposed to be a teacher? "I've always admired the Ravenclaw house."

Rowena smirked. "Blatantly sycophantic. That sort of tactic would be far more effective on my colleagues than myself. But valiantly attempted, nonetheless."

"Um, thanks," Harry answered with a chuckle. "So, does your element happen to be ice? Or water? Seems logical, considering we're in the middle of a lake. Or sea, hard to tell."

She nodded. "Yes, that is well reasoned. It is a bit complicated to define precisely my relationship with the Water Element, unlike the simplicity of Helga's affiliation, but I'll explain if you survive my Champion and win my Weapon."

Harry nodded, trying not to roll his eyes at more secretive nonsense. "Anything I should know before going into... whatever this is?"

"A fair question. And I suppose you deserve an answer to that at least. Consider this Pyramid to be similar as it appears to be - ice and stone, glass and steel. This is the Trial of Intelligence and Intuition, although to be frank, it is scarcely that." Ravenclaw smirked. "But a fool is not something I suffer mildly. If you can avoid that, you shall be fine, I am certain."

"And survive?" Harry asked a bit acidly, although he couldn't really help it.

Ravenclaw chuckled softly. "Indeed. Luck to you, Harry Potter." And then her image faded and a doorway appeared in the stone structure where she had been.

There were torches lit across the hallway as Harry walked for a while, although there flickered with a more bluish color and gave off not discernible heat at all. The walls and floor were just stone, unlike the actual ice blocks he had seen outside. After a few minutes of walking in silence, a brighter light was visible up ahead, so Harry hurried to see anything new.

He found himself in a large atrium, still with stone floors, but the walls seemed to be made of a nearly transparent glass blocks - there were vaguely moving forms and shapes of an unsettling nature somewhere nearby. Harry touched one of the the glass blocks carefully to verify, and they certainly felt like glass, albeit incredible cold. As he looked more closely around him, Harry realized there was an exit built through the glass - actually, there were three of them. Perhaps a sort of maze, as this was a Ravenclaw sort of test.

But there seemed to be no way to determine the correct path to take, so Harry shrugged and chose one at random, walking briskly through a cold glass passage that kept twisting and turning. Occasionally there would be a few steps going up or down, until Harry wasn't sure if he was higher or lower than he started. Of course, the peace was not to last, as after an hour of wandering through the complex, he began to hear a sort of clicking and shuffling noise.

Harry held the giant Axe closely, still a bit taken aback by its seeming lack of weight, moving quietly and slowly. He spotted the creatures before they saw him, two giant blue crabs nearly six feet high, almost seeming made from ice themselves. Their swiveling eyestalks caught the trespassing traveler after a moment, and they stood still. For a second, Harry wondered if he'd just be able to pass unmolested, and then the crabs attacked, enormous pincers snapping in his directions.

Deciding to use the power of the Axe, as it seemed the proper sort of way to proceed, Harry smashed his Axe into the stone floor, sending shockwaves across the room and knocking one of the crabs entirely off its feet. It sputtered about uselessly, but the other crab lunged, and Harry instinctively defended with the Axe, not intending to use much force. But the magically enhanced power of the Axe sheared entirely through the enormous claw and caused the shell to crack with the impact. The crab shrieked and ran off before leaping into a ravine Harry hadn't seen, as the edge had been hidden by its similar appearance to the rest of the wall. An obvious splash was heard, and Harry peered over the edge to see a churning pit of dark water, where the crab was already swimming out of sight.

Well, perhaps it was a shortcut, but Harry wasn't in the mood to swim in ice cold waters anytime again soon. So leaving the upended crab behind him, Harry continued through the complex, continuing to find random steps up and down. Slowly it grew darker and darker, as the light source permeating through the translucent glass grew further away - Harry suspected he was either getting near the top of the complex or the bottom. A sudden smacking sound startled him, and Harry freezed in place, looking around. Nothing odd... and so he continued walking, only to hear the sound again. And the ground felt different. Harry looked down, feeling terribly worried, to see he was now standing on a floor of perfectly clear glass.

Below was water, deep and dark, with something moving about. Deciding discretion may be the better part of valor, Harry turned to go back the way he had come, and then the glass shattered below, dropping him into the icy pool beneath.

"Damn!" Harry cursed, trying to get his bearings. It was nearly completely water in all directions, with only a few islands of rock in the distance. And then something grabbed his leg. Feeling like he didn't want to accidentally cut off his own leg, Harry held up the Axe to get ready for a precise strike.

Another tentacle shot around him, and Harry could delay no longer. "_Diffindo!_" A slice of flesh burst off one of the tentacles, and the other shuddered. "_Diffindo!_Blast, fine!" He swung his axe at the tentacle, severing it completely. Before he could target the other one, it retracted, leaving Harry in silence for a moment. And then he could see something in the murky water, something large and round. An eye!

A giant squid, although not as large as the Hogwarts version, began to raise itself from the water.

"Hell," spat Harry, readying himself for a difficult battle, when he noticed a second squid appearing. And then a third.

"Ah, no, no, I don't bloody think so!" Harry yelled at the aquatic monsters. The rocky islands had given him an idea. Harry held out his Axe and _pulled_as hard as could will it - an entire sheath of rock broke off and sped towards him, cutting one of the squids in half. Harry leaped on the rock and pointed towards the shattered glass he had fallen through. The rocky piece began to shift and change, becoming a sort of stairs that raised Harry almost to the floor above. The stairs shook suddenly, as the squids had begun to attack it. There wasn't much time.

Harry took a flying leap and managed to grab the edge of the floor, cutting himself a bit on the glass, although not too badly. He pulled himself up with a bit of effort, then checked around frantically - only to discover the Axe had come up with him on his back. Well, that was convenient. It took Harry another two hours to finally get back to the main atrium, passing by the still upside down crab as he went.

"Hmm," Harry considered his options and he looked at the other two possible ways to go. Walking down to the water and darkness below didn't seem correct, which meant that he needed to go up. Which meant bloody math.

* * *

_Before it there was never a locust-swarm like it and after it there will not be its equal._

"That's... plus sixty-seven... I think." Harry had managed to count the steps down and up as he had walked through one of the other passages. As the steps were always the same height, as long as he kept finding more upwards steps, he had to be going the right direction, or so he hoped. But keeping track of the subtraction and addition was a pain, as he hadn't really even bothered with simple math for ages at Hogwarts. Ah well.

Then he saw the chamber. A room as large as the Great Hall, with rows of glass on all sides. The floor was mostly transparent, with the faint look of watery depths far below. There were no exits in sight.

The sound of a throat clearing loudly startled Harry, before he saw the floating spectre of Rowena Ravenclaw frowned disapprovingly at him.

"Oh, now what?" Harry groused. "Not fast enough solving your silly puzzles?"

"They were ludicrously simplistic," Ravenclaw riposted with a sneer. "Even a child could count steps. And your grasp of spellwork is utterly horrendous, especially considering the well crafted curriculum which you have mostly ignored over the years."

Harry grimaced at these insults. "I don't need your condescension. I know I'm not the best student, but I'm the one that's here, aren't I? So shall we get on with it?"

Ravenclaw smirked slightly, looking marginally less frosty. "As you say, Harry Potter. But aye, hear this: Sometimes wrought iron must be tempered with the hottest flames to become the finest steel." She closed her eyes and raised her hands above her head. "**_Vaki thu, Jotnar_**!"

A circle of light blazed suddenly into appearance on the surface of the glass floor, and a cold wind blew in suddenly. Harry's shivered without being able to help it, but he barely noticed it; his eyes were on the magic circle. A cylinder of water began to grow upwards from the floor, freezing as it expanding, until finally coalescing into the figure of a something akin to a troll, but with no face to speak of, and seemingly entirely consisting of ice.

Then it made a high, keening sound, like a scream.

Harry decided not to wait for the ice golem to attack first and hit Hufflepuff's axe into the floor. A wave of force spread out in a circle, shaking the giant ice troll monster. The floor seemed to crack slightly, with the distant look of water below. But nothing else.

"_Incendio_!" A puff of steam surrounded the monster, and another angry scream. Before Harry could react, the creature charged and Harry leaped aside, just before a giant icy fist smashed into the floor. Flakes of ice and snow burst off the fist, and Harry thought that perhaps it was not the most efficient weapon. Well, so much the better for him.

The ice creature shuddered and pulled up its shattered first, brandishing it in the air. With a sudden motion, it thrust towards Harry, sending a cascade of pointed icicles and freezing water at him. A instinctual _Protego_blocked the dangerous projectiles, although much of the water fell from the sides and above, turning Harry into a sopping mess.

He shivered and growled, casting a quick drying charm on himself. But in that moment, the monster raised its hand again and made an odd, whistling sound, like a rush of wind. And then the ice golem's hand exploded and several metallic spikes burst out.

"Ah, hell," Harry muttered, and leaped at the creature with his Axe. He smashed down on the ground, shaking the room yet again, then raised the wand and tried to Banish the creature. It staggered back slightly, and Harry slashed at the closest leg, which collapsed immediately. Harry ducked back as the ice golem toppled, and sent out another _Incendio_, although it seemed more muted than normal.

Faster than Harry could react, the monster shrank slightly and regrew its leg, then swung its spiked mace at him. Harry tried to move and cast a spell simultaneously, but the weaponized arm swung too fast, catching him in the left shoulder and tearing out a chunk of his flesh.

Harry couldn't help but grind his his teeth at the sudden agony, but managed to raise a magical shield in time to defend against another lightning quick strike, followed by another, and another in rapid succession. Finally another strike send him falling backwards and Harry tumbled onto the glass floor. He got another glimpse of the water below before rolling out of the way of another strike.

"_Reducto!_" he shouted, breaking off a piece of the monster's other arm. Harry cast it again, aiming for the elbow, and the non-metallic arm broke off entirely. The creature stepped back and began to reform, now only about as tall as Harry himself.

Feeling a bit woozy from the injury, Harry realized he needed to end this soon, but he wasn't sure how. And then the sight of that water below gave him a mad idea, but possibly one that might work. Hopefully.

As the creature began to run at him again, Harry gripped the Hufflepuff Axe and focused on something a thousand feet below or more. The entire room began to shake, and the creature actually stumbled off its feet. Suddenly a pillar of stone exploded through the glass floor, smashing it against the ceiling and into pieces.

Harry leaned against the wall for a moment, catching his breath, while the arm of the creature fell at his feet. The ice melted quickly and left behind a spiked mace with a slender handle. It was not so big up close, it seemed, but perhaps that was more of the magic at work.

"You really should take care of that," Ravenclaw's voice told him, and she walked on air nearby. "I am surprised you aren't fully aware of all the various ways to heal, considering the dangers you frequently face."

"That's actually a pretty good point," grumbled Harry.

"Take the _Macia Volantis_at once, Harry Potter," Ravenclaw said and gestured at it. "Once you have it, I will explain a way you can heal yourself."

Harry leaned down, wincing a bit at the throbbing wound, and picked up the weapon. The mace felt absurdly light in his hands, although there was just enough heft to keep from dropping it. Harry took a few practice swings with it, and each time it was as if the world slowed down slightly as he swung.

"So..." he started to say.

"The flail of Quicksilver. The Mercury Mace - that's what _Macia Volantis _means, of course, as you would know if you knew Latin," Ravenclaw chuckled softly. "Yet I can hardly deny your efficacy, brutish though it may have been. It would seem your talent lies in the area of blindly smashing your way to victory, hoping against hope you do not stumble along the way."

"Thanks a lot," said Harry dryly. "So I assume the mace is charmed to be faster than normal or something? And is it about controlling ice or water?"

The Founder nodded primly. "Naturally. '_As a lightning bolt strikes the earth, flows like the wind'_- perhaps it sounds close to the wrong element, but that is due to a little problem we had. Helga had affinity for the Earth, as the prophecy foretold, while I had Air, Salazar had Water, and Godric with Fire. But due to... something that I will explain if you defeat each Champion, we had the idea that we could get around a limitation by switching around our affinities. It did not work, I am afraid, and left us with a reliance on our weapons instead of our natural capabilities."

"Right," Harry said and blinked slowly, feeling suddenly quite tired. "I think I follow."

"Oh!" Ravenclaw put a hand to her mouth. "I had forgotten! We must cure your injury. Repeat after me and use this wand motion: _Recuperare Afflictatio._" She then waved her wand in a marginally complicated manner, but Harry thought he had it.

_"Recuperare Afflictatio_", Harry cast and suddenly his shoulder burst into agony and he fell to his knees. But before he could complain, the pain fled - all pain. Harry looked over at where he had been hurt and could find no evidence of the injury besides torn robes.

Ravenclaw raised an eyebrow. "That will do, I think. In any event, that should explain why our elements may seem out of sorts."

"Except for Hufflepuff, right?"

"Indeed," the Rowena replied with a nod. "Helga declined to participate in our experiment and came out the better because of it. Now, you will need to proceed to the next Trial - and you will need the protection of my Weapon." She waved a hand and one of the walls simply vanished, revealing a long expanse of water, and the distant sight of a smoking volcano.

"You can't be serious!" Harry cried out. "First of all, I don't like swimming, and second, I can't survive in a volcano. That one's a bit more serious, I would think"

"Do not be a fool," she chided him. "We thought this through. The Mace will provide just enough protection to survive the conditions without duress, and will also make it simple to travel - via the manipulation of water, of course."

Harry pointed the Mace at a pool of water and concentrated. Instantly the water hardened into ice and he grinned.

"Catching on, I see." Ravenclaw smiled slightly. "Very good. As Helga already told you, Elemental magic is only useful when your instincts are faster than your wand. There are great powers with the raw forces of nature, but great limits as well. There is a level of finesse in wanded spellwork that is simply impossible with Elemental magic. It can also be easy to defend against if you know it's coming - but that foreknowledge will be your greatest ally. Hold to it carefully."

Harry nodded and stepped out to the edge of the room. He took a deep breath and concentrated, causing a spout of water to shoot at him and then froze into an icy slide. Harry nodded at Ravenclaw and grinned as he turned back to the slide.

"Wa-hoo!" It was quite a fun ride - and with the power of the Mace, Harry felt no discomfort from the cold at all.

* * *

Next time…  
_Darkness falls, but some still may see._

Aseret HaMakot  
BLOOD FROGS LICE BEASTS PESTILENCE BOILS HAIL LOCUSTS DARKNESS DEATH OF THE FIRST BORN


End file.
